We were invited to a wedding!

Okay--so you wouldn't really think of inviting someone that you personally don't know to your son's wedding.  However, in Cambodia--it is a big deal to have white people at a wedding.  It is a social status for someone's family to have white people there in their behalf.  We didn't fully understand that when Botevy told us that the bus driver for the orphanage invited us to his son's wedding.  We were so excited to have the opportunity to see a traditional Khmer wedding!  Let me also say that I do believe that he also was asking out of the kindness of his heart and throught we would enjoy the experience!

At any rate, we were invited and took a day to attend a wedding.  It was a very cultural event for us.  We had to leave the house by 7:30 am and do the 45 minute drive to get there.  When we pulled up, it was pretty obvious that it was a big deal.  The decorations were done to the max!  They spend a lot of time and money to put on one of these weddings. 

On the way out there, Botevy explained that it is a 2 day/ all day event.  They start the day with a ceremony with friends and family gathering in a room to watch the events of the day.  The actual ceremony was taking place in a little room upstairs but we could see it by televisions that were hanging all around the room.

We sat down at our table and they served us some water and then some food.  Of course, it was traditional Khmer food and so our children were a little leary.  Especially when Ashton ran over to Munchie and announced that there were worms crawling in our bowls.  That meant any chance of my boys even taking a bite--were out of the question!

Doug and I tried to make a respectable dent, but Doug did better than I.  I actually think it had either squid or octopus in it.  That is what I told myself anyway. 

They finished the ceremony upstairs and transferred to a staged area where we were.  We watched some part of the ceremony but couldn't understand very much because we couldn't understand the language.  It was very formal but then ended with almost a type of comedy with two people talking back and forth.  A lot of people were laughing but we could get the general jist that it was sexual joking in nature.

After that, it appeared that the priest started talking and doing more of the ceremonial type of things.  As part of that, family members would come up and the father would trim a little bit of their hair and the mother would spray some perfume on their hair.  Botevy explained that they looked at the scissors as if they were from heaven and by trimming their hair--it was like the heavens were blessing their union. 

 

After this part of the ceremony, they had a little break.  At that point, it was interesting because the driver came over with his family to thank us for being there.  We did notice that we were the only white people there and every one was looking at us.  Then the father asked if we could take a picture with us and his family.  So, we all posed for those pictures and thought it was a bit odd.  Later, Botevy explained to us that those pictures would probably be framed and displayed in their homes.  That it would raise the status of the groom to have white people there on his behalf.  They truly did treat us like royalty.  We felt a bit odd.

 

Following all the pictures, we were served a meal.  It was a curry soup and after a bit, I noticed that we were the only people eating.  I asked Botevy about it and she told us that they prepared that just for our families because the day before, when Botevy told them that we were coming--they asked what we might like to eat.  I thought it was strange that no one else was eating.  I guess they would be fed later.  Botevy had told them that we would need to be leaving by noon.  The wedding would continue on in the day and end with a party that night.  We were invited to the whole thing, but would need to get back to do school time with our kids.

The part of the ceremony was starting again upstairs.  We went up the steps and found that the bride and groom were sitting there and people could go and pay a donation on a plate and pose for a picture with them.  So, we went two at a time and gave a donation.  The photographer was once again, there taking pictures.

It was all very interesting and definitely a great experience for our little families.  We loved it.  We were treated so kindly!  We needed to take off after that, so we started gathering our things and the parents came downstairs again and had another picture taken by the entry with us.  It was quite a day.  We were guests at the wedding--but were treated like royalty.  Beautiful ceremony!  What a day!