Aceh Wedding

Aceh Wedding Ceremony

In general, we hold two separate events for the wedding affairs; firstly, a performance of the marriage vow (official matrimony - a must) namely Nikah and the other one is a wedding reception/ceremony. Regarding the Nikah, people prefer to conduct it in a Mesjid (mosque) whereas the wedding reception is carried out at home, hotel or a wedding hall. However, the wedding reception is optional and it doesn't violate the customary law if a family does not hold one or only conduct a small reception (for instance, due to financial issue, such as a very low budget etc). In brief, it's just for the formal introduction of the bridal couple to public/community.

A. NIKAH

The Process of the Nikah in the Mesjid:

Here, I give you the example of my sister's nikah process. At the big day, both family and relatives of the bride and groom t0-be gathered in the Mesjid around 9 a.m (the total was about 100 people). After everything was ready, the Nikah was processed. At first, the Qur'an reciting (certain Surah), continued with Khotbah Nikah - the speech for the bride and the groom-to be (the usual topic is about the aim/purpose of the marriage, how to lead the new life in Islamic way, etc). Then the main event, the declaration of the marriage vow (Ijab Kabul) by the groom and the final session, the signed of marriage paper/certificate by the bridal couple. This process was witnessed by the selected people.

In the mid of the marriage process, the moderator would also convey to the audience the amount of  the dowry for the bride (it would become the bride's possession, not the family). In Aceh, we use  gold in the form of jewelry for the dowry and the amount depends on the request by the bride's family as well as the tradition (each region in Aceh sets different amount). However, there is a consideration for the ability of the groom's family to provide the dowry. Best tip: Not too high and not too low as well.

The formation for the matrimony performance in the Mesjid. Terms: Dara baro (the bride), Linto baro (the groom), Wali Nikah (marriage guardian, the bride's and the groom's father/family), Saksi (the witness), Khotbah Nikah (the marriage's speech)

The groom declared the marriage vow (Ijab Kabul) and afterward the newly-wed signed the marriage certificate. It's done. At

 B. Wedding Ceremony (Antat Linto)

As common tradition, we conduct two wedding ceremonies in Aceh. First, Antat Linto and second, Tung Dara Baro. Antat Linto is a reception/ceremony conducted to welcome the groom to the bride's house, whereas Tung Dara Baro is the other way.  

Let's view first the Antat Linto. The wedding reception was held at the bride's house - here, in this example, the parents' bride favored the traditional design. Important to note, Aceh government encourages the Acehnese to preserve the culture particularly in a wedding ceremony. For instance, we have a tradition to perform Aceh traditional dance to welcome the groom/the bride to the house namely Tari Ranup Lampuan. 

The Wedding card was designed in Acehnese style. See the golden symbol on the card? We call it Pinto Aceh (door of Aceh).

The groom with his family and relative were on the way to the bride's house.

The welcoming session: the groom's party handed over Bate Ranup to the bride's party.

Special items for Peusijuk the groom (see more info about the Peusijukat http://acehiswonderful.blogspot.com/2011/05/aceh-wedding-ceremony-part-1.html)

The performance of Peusijuk to the groom

This room was set for men only (groom's family & relative). Here, the bride and the groom would sit in a small Pelaminan for at least one hour and then moved to the main Pelaminan in other room until the rest of the day (around 2 or 3 pm).

The food provided for the bride & the groom. Both would feed to each other (only a small amount of those as a symbolic action). Actually it is not the real tradition of Aceh. It adopts the other culture (the wedding photographer explained this to us). Mixed culture, that's what make a tradition/culture interesting, isn't it?

The place was set specifically for women (the groom's family & relative). The women would sit and enjoy the food offered in Aceh traditional design, usingDalung to provide the main course. Here, the rice was wrapped in banana leaves.

We used to have special little companions for the bride and the groom, but it's not so common now. So cute :)

The main Pelaminan. Actually the patterns vary and it's up to us to choose the color and the design. Here, we have the traditional one, the combination of red, yellow and green - a typical colored of Aceh.

The bride & the groom in Aceh traditional wedding dress