Malay Weddings: Key traditions and their meanings

Now that you’ve figured out what to wear to that upcoming Malay wedding you’ve been invited to, it’s time to discover the age-old traditions of Malay wedding customs. You wouldn’t want to turn up feeling confused at the practices with question marks popping up in your head after all, do you?

Many of the customs adopted for traditional Malay weddings have been derived from royal court practices, as the bride and groom are considered royalty on their wedding day. As a result, a lot of what precedes on the arrival of the couple is inspired by how the guards and public would have treated the king and queen.

KOMPANG ENTRANCE

The distinct, upbeat drumming of the kompang is a familiar sound in many local neighbourhoods, indicating that a Malay wedding is probably being conducted nearby! It signals the arrival of the bride and groom to the wedding venue and will continue to play until the couple has taken their seats at the wedding dais. The kompang players will then break out into melodic recitations of verses from the Quran and poetic well-wishes for the couple.

SILAT PERFORMANCE

Following the kompang presentation will sometimes be a silat performance. The graceful combination of movements will often end in a handshake between the silat performer and the groom, asking for permission to continue his performance and the resuming of the reception.

RED EGGS AS DOOR GIFTS

Still widely practiced today is the gifting of dyed red eggs accompanied by a flower to guests, as a symbol of fertility. The eggs are hard-boiled and dyed, after which they are sometimes placed on top of a small container of glutinous rice and packaged for guests. However, they are becoming increasingly uncommon as modern weddings will replace the eggs and glutinous rice with chocolates, small face towels or embossed drinking glasses.

SPRINKLING OF YELLOW RICE GRAINS & ROSE WATER

Both also symbols of fertility, the sprinkling of yellow rice grains and rose water on the couple is done by their elders, usually accompanied by well wishes. Once complete, the couple is left to take pictures with guests before proceeding to their table for their first meal together.

These are some of the most notable Malay wedding customs you can take note of. Weddings are a very celebrated event in Malay culture, so what better way to understand the practices of the community than to take part?

Nur Syazana H.