Actually, those Malay wedding celebrations are pretty fun to
attend, plus, they don't run into astronomical bills, and family
and friends turn up to help, or to congratulate the couple in
droves!
Their community is close-knit so it's easy for them to gather
relatives to help out with the cooking and the preparations.
And they are also close-knit so when someone gets married, the
entire kampong turns up to give the wedding couple their
blessings.
Have you ever heard the Malays complain that they have to bao big
big ang pow's and money therefore becomes a deterrant and a huge
damper to the happy wedding celebratory spirit?
True, I don't think I can ever round up that many relatives to help
out with mass cooking, and I don't think we have that expertise
like they do. But what I'm trying to point out is that there are
alternative ways to celebrate and announce a wedding, ways that are
more intimate, more casual, and yet, everyone has fun, and the onus
is not on earning 'profits' or 'breaking even', but really on the
exuberance and joy of two people who've chosen to love each other
deeply enough to live the rest of their lives together, as one
family unit.
Now, do you get THAT essence and spirit in the traditional money-
and status-orientated traditional Chinese wedding dinners?
