Wedding Ceremony of SAMBAS

There are many cultures in indonesia that is being an identity of this country.  It is include traditional ceremony, wedding ceremony, and another celebration.  Each region has its own way to create the ceremony.  Begin from pre, whilst, post ceremony that usually do by people who lived in Sambas to create their own ceremony. It happened when they prepared and make wedding in their place. Wedding in sambas means making a strong relationship between two big families that their each the groom and the bride will promise to live together until death do them apart. That is one of ritual which include in wedding sambas. Wedding ceremony need some process that should be followed.

The first process is Cikram.  Cikram is a sign of engagement between two human being.  If there is a selected woman, the man will delegate the elder people or his parents to co  Whereas a sarong, shawl, soap and face powder as a complement which is given to the woman’s parents.  Before the stuff is given by the man’s delegation, there is a marriage ceremony.  In this marriage ceremony, the meaning of man’s delegation is marked by a traditional poetry and poem.  If the traditional poetry and poem is well answered by woman’s parents so the man’s delegation give the stuff that they bring with them.  After the delivery, woman’s parents will also give the same stuff and sarong and songkok as an addition to the man’s delegation.  It is a sign that there is an agreement to the engagement. 

me to the woman’s parents. The delegation usually brings stuff such as betel vine, areca nut, lime, gambier, and tobacco on one tray.

After Ckram, the second step is Aktar Pinang. It’s a similar step to Cikram, but the stuff is more than Cikram.  The primary stuff that men’s delegation should bring is sirih pinang and dowry.  The dowry consist of money, gold and stuff.  It depend on agreement between the man’s parent and woman’s parents.  Except the stuff that is mentioned in Cikram, there are also another stuff to bring.  They are bed, clothes, underwear, slipper, umbrella and another need.  That stuff is bought to woman’s parents and the peoples from the man’s side also follow to deliver the stuff to woman’s side.       

A few days before the wedding ceremony, all the family will gather to make tarup and emper-emper.  Tarup is seat for the guest and emper-emper is place where the food will be served.  Tarup is dotted with gladak that has colorful paint.  The purpose is the guest won’t be bored when the wedding ceremony is being held.  There is Tanjidor music to jazzed up the wedding ceremony.  If there are many guest that is already come, so the protocol of the ceremony will be started.  The first protocol is a welcome speech and will continued by zibir reading and Al-Bersanji.

The first night after ceremony, there is another agenda that people in Sambas called it Pulang-memulangkan.  In this agenda, the parents from either man and woman will give their son/daughter. Man’s parents will give their son to the woman, and woman’s parents also give their daughter to the man.  Then their parents will give an advice in living together in marriage continue by humbling to their parents as a sign of loyalty and end with a pray.

The last step of the ceremony is Buang-buang.  This agenda usually held in midnight after pulang-memulangkan and the woman’s parent invite a shaman in this agenda.  The need of this agenda is air tolak bala, two candle, an egg, coconut that is filled with sugar, benang-sumbu and a cup of rice.  All of that stuff is served on a “bintang”.  The man wear sarong, and the woman wear breast cloth and veil.  They stand on place that is prepared before and the shaman will pour with water and the shaman will walk around seven times while he/she hold the candle.  And at the seventh turn, they have to blow the candle.  The meaning of this agenda is a sign to clean up their selves and erase all the useless habit.

After walking through wedding ceremony, they will live their life as husband and a wife. That is the steps how to make a wedding ceremony for people in Sambas.  In every region have their own way how to make a wedding ceremony.  It is the wealth of our beloved Indonesia, we as a youth of this country have to keep our own culture.   
source http://fixguy.wordpress.com/kebudayaan-suku-melayu-di-sambas/