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MARRIAGE |
People from many different ethnic and cultural backgrounds live together
in Thailand, a country so friendly it is known as the "Land of Smiles."
Due to its historical and geographical position as a crossroad, this country's
population is ethnically diverse, with many Thais coming from Chinese,
Indian, Malaysian, Laotian, Burmese, Cambodian and other backgrounds.
While most of the people in Thailand practice Buddhism, there is also
a sizeable Muslim population, in addition to Christians, Hindus and others.
Over the years, Thai people have borrowed bits and pieces from each other's
practices and backgrounds to create new cultural and social traditions.
The
Groom's Procession
In Thailand,
the pageantry of a wedding focuses primarily on the groom, who makes his
way to the bride in a procession that is often accompanied by music. Friends
and relatives of the groom, bearing food and gifts such as silver, gold,
jewelry and cash, join in the procession. “The procession to the bride's
house is the most exciting part of the wedding,” Phyakul Quach observes.
On his way, the groom passes through the “silver gate” and the "gold
gate,” which consist of string or chains made of silver or gold that are
held at each end by young children. The groom pays a token fee — more
for the gold gate than the silver one — to the children, who then “open”
each gate so he can reach the bride. The
Ceremony
The Thai
wedding ceremony is held during the day at the bride's home and is generally
fairly small, attended only by family and close friends. It is usually
followed by a large evening reception at a hotel or party room, complete
with food, music and entertainment. At a Buddhist ceremony, monks are
invited to the wedding to chant prayers and are presented with alms and
food by the couple. The bride and groom kneel together, and a sacred thread
is draped from one head to the other, forming a circle and connecting
the couple. They each clasp their palms together in the traditional prayer-like
gesture called wai, and one by one the guests pour a conch shell
full of sacred water over the couple's hands while saying a blessing for
good luck. Guests then present their gifts to the newlyweds, either by
placing an envelope containing money into a nearby basket or giving a
gift. The groom's
family is responsible for the bride's dowry, a sum that is often negotiated
between the two families. The dowry may be displayed, before the ceremony,
as a pile of cash to indicate that the groom is a good catch. After the
ceremony, the money is generally given to the new couple to help them
start their lives together.
Thai
brides don't have a standard wedding dress but tend to wear a traditional,
close-fitting, brightly colored Thai silk ensemble during the wedding
ceremony. It is often adorned with gold jewelry encrusted with semiprecious
stones. White is growing in popularity, and some brides opt for a Western-style
wedding gown at the evening reception. Black is never worn — and should
not be worn by guests — as it is considered to be bad luck and the color
of mourning. Thai
women take their husband's last name, but ethnic Chinese women do not,
explains Phyakul Quach. She notes that in Thailand, last names are unique
to each family. Her paternal grandfather and grandmother, for instance,
created Phyakul by taking sounds of their Indonesian and Chinese first
names and creating a Thai name that would be unique to their family. And
while she has taken her husband's last name — Quach — her children use
the name Quach Phyakul to reflect their Thai heritage. |
