Khmer Wedding

The happy couple

Weddings in Cambodia are a big deal.  Ever since I arrived I've wondered about them and seen and heard them and wanted to get invited to one.  Most of the teachers at school who have been here any amount of time have been to at least one because some Khmer (pronounced Khmei) staff member has gotten married.  So I thought my chance might come from school,  little did I know that my landlady's daughter, Leng Mouy Teang (goes by Pov), just got engaged and yours truly got an invite.

Thanking her relatives

First, the seen and heard.  Almost every weekend some street is blocked off and tents are set up and decorated and food is cooked out and music is played.  It is very elaborate, but until I got a little closer, I didn't know that really meant.  Oh and heard, the music is really loud.  Second, I really haven't been to the wedding, its in January, but to the engagement party.  Get this, it was today, Saturday, from 7am to noon.  The music started at 5:45am.  By 6:30 I had had it and wandered out to my balcony with my view of cultural diversity being reduced to three initials  "WTF".  The music is hard to describe, it is really loud,  some of it sounds kind of ancient and Indian and then morphs into the worst of soft rock.  All the words seems to say "sometimes when we touch, the honesty's too much" repeated many times.  My upstairs neighbor, Claude, a friend and teacher from school was also up and we decided we would go down at 8:30.  When we got there, the downstairs was transformed and it was crowded.  Everyone turned our way and directed us to a good spot to sit.  They were pleased and honored by our presence. Such a nice feeling and I felt so privileged to be there.  Just then, Pov arrived.  Wow, I really am in Kampuchea.. 

This is the down stairs where they park their cars

Elizabeth Taylor would be jealous

Claude, who is much more inquisitive than me, found out the story two weeks ago.  Mom and Dad are not here all the time.  Pov kind of runs the place and Kea and Leung (a story for another time) do all the work.   Pov is a really modern girl; tiny, looks 16 but is 26.  Always has her phone out and wears angry bird t-shirts and jeans.  Her English is good but she has funny word choices, like she refers to the day after her wedding day as Happy Day.    Well she had a young Khmer boyfriend and he used to come around and stay on the 4th floor.  I hadn't seen him in a while but wasn't really looking, then Claude comes in two weeks ago all primed with gossip.   Pov is getting married and we are invited, but that's not the best part (he can't wait to tell me this) not to that good for nothing hip hop kid but to a 30 year old engineer.  Mom got rid of the boyfriend and arranged this wedding.  Well in thinking about it I've decided that Mom  probably knows best (right Mom?). 

Right after the ceremony

Dad, me, groom,bride, Claude and Mom

I always sit at the fun table

The music is now off and a priest, minister, monk, not sure which, is leading the ceremony.  He is kind of chanting and gifts are exchanged and candles lite and rings put on fingers.  Lasted about a half in hour.  Finished with a prayer. Oh yeah, the bride and groom to be, have to go through motions of gratitude to their parents and to relatives.  Pov is kind of a brat and pouted a couple of times when prodded to do her part their way.  Fun to watch, but she was really lovely and fun to look at, the dress and hair and spiky shoulders and golden snake ankle things.  When it was over there was tons of picture taking and then out to the tent to eat.  I tried to see if they would whip up some eggs benedict, but had go with my second favorite breakfast: fish with its head still on, a whole chicken that looked like it got stepped on, lots of gelatinous difficult to describe food items in a sauce that my girlfriends at my table seemed to love and encouraged me in Khmer gestures to take more of.  They were also trying to tell me something, don't want to jump to any conclusions, but does anyone know how you say aphrodisiac in Khmer? At this point Claude spilled a glass of water into his lap and we all got a kick out of that.  I said to him, now's our chance; I'll tell them all you had an accident and I have to take you to the bathroom.

We did leave soon after and said our goodbyes and aoukuns (thank yous) in an appropriate way.  The wedding is in January and I'm buying a new shirt (and ear plugs) and I'll tell you all about it.