Happy Tiara Tuesday everyone! This week we journey East to Indonesia, where the weddings are steeped in traditions that would drop any Westerner's jaw.
Of course, the lavishness of a wedding will vary tremendously, depending on the wealth of the family. But fresh flowers and colorful cloths are to be expected. Even in a lower-class wedding, the bride wears a lavish headdress adorned with jewels. Many times these headdresses are made with cheap metals and rhinestones. But in the case of a princess, these pieces are certainly made of precious gems and gold.
The headdress is made of several different parts, including a netting made of fresh flowers, and hairpins called cunduk mentul or kembang goyang (dancing flower. Traditionally, the bride wears 5 of these pins. The center one sits tallest and represents one's relationship with God. The other four represent that one must share good relationships wherever they go, north, south, east, or west.
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The procession lasts three days, and includes some of the most fascinating traditions. In one part of the wedding ceremony the groom steps on an egg to symbolize stepping into a new phase of life - single to married. Next, the bride washes his feet to symbolize her devotion. While Indonesia is traditionally a polygamist culture, Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, who is the princess's father, is the first one in his family to practice monogamy, and his daughter, being a modern woman, educated in the West, will follow suit.
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