Why red?...not green?....

photo of daughter of a friend @ a neighbour taken today...Sunday

Yes!
I am referring to something that has to do with the photo above...a wedding and wedding card.Why red in the first place? We often heard people refer a wedding invitation as 'kad merah'...whereby... in real life...especially nowadays...we seldom see wedding card in red.
i guess red is and has always been the color for the Chinese ( correct me if i am wrong UncleLee).
and green is better known for the Malays...@Muslims...so why not Green card? Hahaha!
and i have heard people used the 'term'...'kad merah' ever since i could understand what it stands for...
Speaking of weddings...that reminds me of weddings during my childhood...
I.
back in kampung...in N9
one unique tradition that is still fresh in my mind is the beverages served ...the none-sugar Tea-O...perhaps this is only found in N9...hahaha!
those time i thought it was common to everybody...only to find it later became a a joke of all years to others! hahaha
So i ask my Atuk (Arwah)...why?...
it makes sense...
As you people know that in those years ...water pipes were not widely used ...so their main source of fresh water is the well...
Almost every houses have two types of well...one is for the drinking...and the other is for bathing and washing ...etc... purposes...
The one for drinking has always been a deeper well...a natural source of mineral water! Honest!
It is so deep down under that the water taste different .
So back to our main topic...
As the water came from the well...they are so used to making sure that it is boiled before consuming it daily...including during celebrations like the wedding.
but the problem is...boiled water is tasteless!
So tea is a natural flavor...just like Chinese tea ...you take without sugar!
As far as hygiene is concerned...i prefer none sugared tea to unboiled syrup !
Whatever!
About the delicacies...
i love the day before the big day...
i remember the 'pulut himpit' (cooked glutinous rice pressed in a special equipment) with sekaya or serikaya...kuih lapis...served during 'duduak urhang' @ duduk orang in Minangkabau. hahaha
Oh ...how the whole kampung and the neibouring kampung folks were invited...Meriah tu!
and i remember how they used to come with a 'boka'@bekal...during' duduk ughang' i.s
a special canister made of silver or other metallike aluminium...called 'mangkuk tingkat' filled with rice...
then it is then filled back with the dishes during the wedding...rendang or the main rendang or rendang nangka!
Best kan...
i miss the rendang nangka...huhu...
Those days...when everything was done by gotong royong...and most of the necessities can be obtained just around the kampung for free!
yet everybody was happy!

II.
When i was in my early teenager...a Malacca 's wedding is so common to me as my step father is from Malacca...and the rest of his family were all typical Melake ! Ulau belengkau tepi pagau!
Melake's wedding was famous for it's Joget Lambak and menconteng arang festival!
Joget lambak is held during the nite of the wedding...where the whole kampung gathered around...and were having fun!
Accompanied by a life band...
beside some Joget numbers...Santana's song was never missed!.."Black magic woman"...
the bride and groom will start the nite with a joget!
followed by the makcik and the pak cik...pak' besau' and mak' besau' victimized by their young family members...
A scene of a 60 year old granny dancing a joget is acceptable during those days...
and they were sporting giler...i tell you!
Enjoy habis!
That was also a nite where the eligible bachelors had their eyes wide opened...looking for a candidate!

Then came the next day... 'conteng arang day'!
watch out ..bride and groom...or you both will end up with faces smeared with crust from the pots and cauldrons during the cleaning...hmmm
Sounds fun huh?

I presume a lot of us would say it is not islamic...tak ikut syariah...but i guess there's a lot of weddings nowadays ...which are way out of Islamic....non Islamic way of life seems habitual...
So... are we so developed and civilized now or...we are back to being Jahiliah???
Wallahhu a'lam...

I guess ...like it or not...we have to return to the syarak and syariah... as to understand why and what is the main purpose of a wedding...
So that everything we practice is blessed by Allah. Amin

"Yang baik jadikan teladan...yang buruk jadikan sempadan"
Mohon diampunkan dosa kaum kerabat kita yang lalu jika pernah mereka tersasar...