Gold dominates traditional royal wedding costumes

Gold dominates traditional royal wedding costumes

JAKARTA (JP): Gold seems to be the preferred color for the
traditional bridal costumes of many ethnic groups in Indonesia.
At least that was the impression instilled by the splendid
Indonesian Royal Palaces' Traditional Wedding Costumes show.

The show, on Wednesday at the Shangri-La hotel in Jakarta, was
held in conjunction with the first Indonesian Royal Palace
Festival from July 1 to July 7 in Surakarta (Solo), Central Java.

The showing from the Kesultanan Palembang, or the Palembang
royal palace of South Sumatra, featured the Aes gede garb which
was very eye-catching because gold dominated the wedding costumes
of both the bride and groom. The couple glowed from head to foot
with the yellow metal. They were adorned with jewelry made from
pure gold and decorated with diamonds. Even the bridesmaids were
clad in colorful dresses decorated with golden coins and thread.

The wedding costumes presented by the other participants in
the show were also embellished with gold ornamentation.

The show included wedding garb from the Kingdom of Pagaruyung
in West Sumatra, the Keraton (palace) Deli of North Sumatra,
Keraton Surakarta of Central Java, Keraton Yogyakarta, Keraton
Kasepuhan of Cirebon, West Java, the Negara Dipa Banjar Kingdom
of South Kalimantan, the Gowa Kingdom of South Sulawesi, Puri
(Castle) Ubud of Bali and the Sultanate of Ternate in Maluku.

In Indonesian language, the bride price is called emas
kawin.Emas is gold and kawin is marriage. But that does not mean
that emas kawin is always in the form of gold. The name simply
reflects the importance of gold in relation to wedding ceremonies
among all of the ethnic groups in Indonesia. Gold is chosen
because it is considered the most perfect among metals. In other
words, gold is a symbol of perfection.

It is interesting to see, for instance, that the decorated
umbrella used for the West Sumatran ceremony is made of yellow
material, which looks like gold. And the batik worn by Javanese
royal families, either from Surakarta or Yogyakarta, is adorned
with gold.

But, wedding finery was not the only attraction at the show.
Each royal palace participating demonstrated the complexity and
elegance of their traditional wedding ceremonies.

Some wedding ceremonies were opened with dances, such as that
of Kasepuhan Palace of Cirebon. A kuda lumping dance marked the
arrival of a procession of the bridegroom's family at the house
of the bride.

In Sumatran ceremonies, the brides and the bridegrooms were
required to make some dance-like movements, while the bridesmaids
danced surrounding them.

The procession played a great role in the various ceremonies
featured at the show. Most of the traditions require that the
bridegroom not be alone when he goes to pick up his bride at her
house on their wedding day. He must be accompanied by a large
number of people: both family and friends, who take an active
part in the wedding ceremony as well.

Each step in each segment of all of the wedding ceremonies
symbolized the hope for a long lasting and happy marriage. These
ceremonies demonstrated the marriage philosophies of the various
ethnic groups participating in the show.

Breaking an egg, which is an essential part of the tradition
of Surakarta, Yogyakarta and Cirebon, for example, symbolizes
that starting on their wedding day the bride and the groom are
not longer virgins and are leaving that part of their life
behind. The breaking of the egg, which is done by the groom who
steps on it, also represents the hope that the married couple
will soon have children. This ceremony is usually followed by the
washing of the groom's feet by the bride to symbolize the
faithfulness of a wife to her husband.

In the Cirebon ceremony, the bride and groom are required to
eat a couple of roasted pigeons from the same plate. This implies
that the married couple is required to follow the example of the
male pigeon, which only mates with one female pigeon during its
lifespan.

The traditional wedding garb show, which was meant to raise
funds, provided an excellent introduction to the National Royal
Palace Festival, which is participated in by 15 sultanates and
kingdoms from all over the country. However, more professional
management of the time schedule was badly needed. The show was
supposed to start at 8:30 p.m. after a buffet diner, but it was
not until 9:30 p.m. that the event was opened by the organizing
committee.

Even though the show was interesting, most of the guests left
before it finished, following Mrs. Try Sutrisno, the wife of the
Vice President Try Sutrisno, who left at 11 o'clock.

This event was held by the Directorate General of Tourism of
the Ministry of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications, in
cooperation with PT Mustika Ratu, a herbal cosmetic and medicine
company, and PT Arjuna Impresindo Perkasa, a promoter. (als)