Rich wedding traditions in Asia in danger of dying out

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.