It is a traditional custom to decorate the entrance of the engagement & marriage hall and the house of the bride and groom with two banana trees. This practice symbolizes the wish for the couple’s married life to be evergreen, indicating prosperity, fertility, and an unending relationship filled with love. The banana tree, known as ‘Kadali’ in Sanskrit, is revered across various rituals and ceremonies. Every part of the banana plant, from the leaves to the trunk and the fruit, is considered sacred.
Read these first:
- Indian Wedding 101: Colorful & Exciting Indian Wedding Part 1
- Indian Wedding 101: Colorful & Exciting Indian Wedding Part 2
- Indian Wedding 101: Colorful & Exciting Indian Wedding Part 3
- Indian Wedding 101: Colorful & Exciting Indian Wedding Part 4
For years, my younger brother proudly proclaimed himself a “diehard bachelor,” much to our family’s amusement. However, in a delightful turn of events, he has decided to end his bachelorhood and is ready to embark on a new chapter in life. We are thrilled to announce his engagement, a celebration of commitment that we will share in a two-part series.
Registered Marriage
The journey to matrimony began with an arranged marriage, a tradition steeped in cultural significance. Following numerous exchanges of letters and several “site visits” to ensure compatibility, the families reached a consensus. The formal wedding registration, orchestrated by my mother, was set for April 2008. This pivotal event was swiftly followed by a traditional engagement ceremony within a week, marking the commitment in a celebration of love and future promises.
My brother had registered his marriage in Putrajaya and last Saturday decided to hold his engagement ceremony in a small Indian temple near his future wife’s house. The day of the engagement started with me going out to buy breakfast for the whole household including the 3 relatives who joined us for the night, so the house was full and most of us were heavy eaters.
The engagement was supposed to start at about 7 pm but there was plenty of work to be done by then. I needed to pick up something from the post office, pick up more relatives, send my brother’s clothes for the engagement for quick ironing at the dobby shop, and pick up the engagement gift trays (what we Malaysians call “hantaran”) from some lady in some housing area. True to my skill as a project manager, I plotted the time and travel sequence for this. We need to get this right to avoid wasting time and fuel.
Trip to Post Office
There was a card from the Post Office informing me that there was a package waiting for me. I did not know what it was and wondered what it was but I was excited to check it out. So the trip to the Post Office was somehow prioritized by my curiosity. I did not know that the Post Office had moved – so it took us a couple of turns in the Industrial area to locate it.
The package turned out to be from Reader’s Digest – they sent me 600 pages of complied novels. It will make an excellent entry into my bookshelf. Tucking the novel into the car booth, we made our way to a housing area about 2 – 3 kilometers away to pick up 2 of my aunties who had come for the engagement. They were waiting for me when I arrived at their house – they all knew about my “precision” timings (something that I inherited from my dad where “Indian Time” was not an excuse).
Trip to Dobby Shop
Today’s preparations for the evening’s event required us to arrange for expedited ironing services for my brother’s formal attire for the engament. Upon presenting the garment at the service counter, the attendant—an Indonesian lady—expressed curiosity about our decision to forego washing. We clarified our request, emphasizing the urgency and specifying a 4 pm deadline for the same day, underscoring that ironing was the only service needed.
We needed to communicate this distinction to avoid any misunderstandings that could result in the costume being inadvertently washed. We reiterated our instructions to ensure they were fully comprehended, as the garment needed to be ready and not left in the washing machine upon our return.
Our insistence on these specific instructions stemmed from the importance of the costume’s role in the night’s engagement and our commitment to presenting it in its best form. The attendant’s acknowledgment gave us confidence that our request was understood and would be executed as desired.
Gift Trays
Next, we rushed to a lady’s house in another housing area – we had “outsourced” the work of preparing the gift trays. RM400 and 9 trays of sweets, coconut, etc were ready when we arrived at the house. It was well decorated but at that time, we did not know that some of the trays needed to be returned, otherwise I would have had some trouble with this.
So, with a large book, 9 trays, and 2 heavy-weight aunties in the car, we headed back to the house where the rest had been cleaning up the house and making other arrangements for the engagement at night.
To be continued in Part 2