Rich wedding traditions in Asia in danger of dying out
By Parvathi Nayar Narayan
JAKARTA (JP): In the era of globalization, it is becoming increasingly more important to preserve a country's traditional practices while making them more accessible to the modern- oriented generation.
Some of the most important traditions are those related to the beautiful bridal ceremonies, which are in danger of dying out in the culturally diverse and rich Asian region.
The Second Asia Pacific Bridal Summit, held in Jakarta from Aug. 29 through Sept. 1, was aimed at bringing together delegates from nine different countries, including Indonesia (the host nation), Japan, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Malaysia to discuss ways to preserve these valuable traditions.
The event, opened by Madame Try Sutrisno at the Merdeka Selatan Palace, was jointly sponsored by PT Mustika Ratu, a cosmetic company, and HARPI Melati, the Indonesian Bridal Association.
One of the main features of the summit was a two-day symposium entitled To Upgrade the Outlook on Marriage and Traditional Wedding Ceremonies, which was followed by bridal shows put on by the participating countries.
On the first day, the guest speakers at the symposium were from Japan, Cambodia, Laos and Malaysia. While some of the speakers failed to deal with the topic in any real depth, the one speaker who evoked considerable interest and audience response was the representative from Japan, Jane Aiko Yamano, the associate professor and vice principal of Yamano Beauty College.
Yamano spoke about the rapid decline in popularity in Japan of women's traditional wedding attire, or the kimono, in favor of Western wedding gowns. She is very committed to the preservation of traditional wedding forms, especially the kimono, of which the Japanese government, via the Ministry of Education, is very supportive.
Attempts are being made to popularize kimonos used in weddings by making them more comfortable and less expensive, which helps encourage the rental of wedding kimonos, and by creating a more positive attitude toward the wearing of kimonos in Japan's increasingly international climate.
Panggih
The first item on the agenda at the Bridal Show, following the seminar, was a depiction of Panggih, the Royal Wedding Ceremony of the Yogyakarta Hadiningrat Palace. To the live accompaniment of traditional music, it was a spectacle of color, pomp and ceremony. The costumes of the numerous actors were sumptuous, and to the untrained eye, certainly looked very authentic. Panggih refers to the ritual meeting ceremony between the bride and groom, which is preceded by an elaborate procession. At the meeting, many symbolic ceremonies are performed, such as balang-balang langan gantal, where the bridal couple throw betel leaves at each other.
One part of Panggih that was rather fun, and in complete contrast to the solemn nature of the general proceedings, was Edan-edanan. Here, two couples from the Abdi Dalem (Royal Staff) dressed, danced and behaved like mad people. With faces painted in clown-like makeup of stark white and exaggerated, drawn in features and men "riding" rattan horses, this was a lively show done apparently to ward off evil spirits.
Next, from Cambodia, was a set of four coordinated wedding outfits for a Cambodian bride and groom. The Cambodian wedding ceremony can range from a single to a three-day affair, depending on the participants' social standing and economics. The three ceremonies that can never be avoided are the hair cutting ceremony, the ceremony of bringing gifts and spreading areca flowers and the reception for the wedding guests.
Different clothes must be worn for each occasion. As the show demonstrated, these can range from the most traditional wrap around skirts to Western-looking suits and gowns in a variety of colors -- such as flame orange, bronze green and steely blue -- but all very richly embellished.
This exhibit was followed by wedding apparel from Malaysia for the bride and groom, in rich off white. Though traditional in form, it had modern touches by way of glittering sequin and bead work. The costumes overall were very elaborate but, as is obvious, the selection was very limited. The remaining countries, South Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam and India, rounded off the show the next day.
The highlight of the summit, however, was a fashion show, the Yumi Katsura Bridal Collection, showcasing 120 outfits. The Paris-trained designer is quite the high priestess of bridal attire in Japan, with over a 100 licensed shops in the country and over 40,000 couples who get married in her designs each year. Rather ironically, as she said, she began as a creator of exclusively Western wedding clothes.
She explains how 30 odd years ago, only about 3 percent of the population wanted Western wedding clothes, so no one really bothered making them. Perceiving an unfilled niche market, she decided to enter it ... and the rest is history.
About 10 years ago, Katsura realized with dismay that the kimono was declining in popularity and began including them in her collections. Now she does both traditional and western wedding clothes. Interestingly, for her show in Jakarta, she has incorporated batik from Iwan Tirtha and embroidery from Surabaya into the clothes. As for prices, the ready made attire ranges from 180,000 Japanese yen to 300,000 yen, while the made-to-order apparel starts at 1,000,000 yen and are thus not cheap.
Katsura's favorite color is, predictably, white. At our meeting, she was dressed in black and white with a blazing green turban. It is one of her own creations, though she says she directs most of her energy toward creating the bridal wear.
Her nickname is Man Nen Shojo, which means "forever young". This seems to describe her designs and her approach to them, because she likes her clothes to be romantic and dreamy.