Homeland

In my country, Cambodia, the wedding usually lasts a day and a half. The minimum age to marry is eighteen years old. Some couples meet themselves and some couples are introduced by parents or friends.

In my opinion, marrying for love is very important. We can try to understand each other. We must respect each other. We have a lot of ceremonies that are famous for their specific meaning. For example, a very important music "Phleng Kar", a classical music genre of traditional songs, is performed at wedding ceremonies.

The wedding starts at the bride's home followed by a religious ceremony. The bride and groom wear traditional garments covered with jewelry as a mark of respect to the parents of bride and groom, and all the couple's relatives and friends are present. The are many other programs we can choose from (Soat Mun, Hea Chomnoun, Bampeak chenchien, Sompeah Phtoem, Katsak…)

I chose the program Soat Mun which happens on the first day in the afternoon around 3 pm. This program is also known as the monks' blessings, includes the blessings of Buddhist monks. During the ceremony, the monks sprinkle flowered water on the couple while chanting blessings for them. Guests are expected to observe in silence and bow their heads.

The Other one is Bampeak chenchien. This ceremony is when a bride and groom exchange the ring. Last one is Sompeah Phtoem which is the “knot-tying” ceremony. The bride and groom sit down, pray and hold on to a gold sword while their hands are clasped together. The sword originates from an old legend; it's a symbol of loyalty and protection for the couple. While they sit, family members take turns taking red yarns and tying it around the bride and groom's wrists. The red yarns represent everlasting love and joining together of two people to become one.

At the end of this ceremony, attendees wish the new couple health, happiness and prosperity. Parents, relatives and guests may also throw betel palm flowers (Pka Sla) at the couple as a way of wishing them well. Both sets of parents are happy and wish the bride and groom honesty and taking care of each other for life. In the evening, they invite many guests to come and join in eating and dancing at the restaurant.

After the wedding day, the newlyweds relax. Then they go to a honeymoon trip for a couple of days or a week.