The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1905-02-09
strange WEDDING NS|AA.
How the Sultan of Kedah Gel
ebrated Five Marriages.
SIXTY DAYS TO PERFORM
Ceremony In Which the Five Sons OF
Siamese Sultan Were United in
Marriage, one Of the Stranues.
of Royal Weddinns.


which took sixty days to perform was
recently celebrated in Kedah, a south.
ern province of Siam. Sixty days OF
strange and unique ceremonials. made
the five sons of the Sultan OF Kedah
the happy husbands of five little Siam
ese brides.
There are thirty thousand people
who claim Kedah as their home and
country. and the population is swelled
by many foreigners from various 9th.
er lands; and as these weddings took
the form of a national jubilee, in
which every one took part, either as
participant or spectator, this marriage
festival can be rated as one of the
greatest of modern times.
The preliminaries occupied months,
and every one who could possibly do
so, saw the show.
Each ceremony occupied twelve
days, excepting that OF the Crown
Prince, to which one or two extra days
were given. The King of Siam, not
being able to come himself, sent his
son, Prince Charan who came overland
from the eastern side of the peninsu-
la, with his suite, in great grandeur,
upon the backs of elephants.
His Highness, Lunkau Ibraham, the
Crown Prince. married his first cou-
sin, daughter OF His Highness, the
Rajah Mudi of Kedah. At 1 o'clock p.
m. on the first day Of each marriage,
prayers were said for bride and BRIDE
groom, who had not met as yet. At
p. m. a wedding ceremony was per-
formed in public after the Mohame-
dan custom after which banquet was
served to everyone, the European and
high-class native, however, coming in
for the most attention. The tables
were spread in the courthouse, and
very beautifully decorated. Four long
tables were laid for the royal house of
Kedah and their European friends,
the Malay officials being entertained
In an adjoining room. Two refresh
ment bars were open day and night,
where food and drink were furnished
free to all. Many temporary buildings
were erected, as well as open air stag
es for various performances, ceremon-
ials, and spots, in which fireworks
played a conspicuous part. These
OSSuplCu otNtlO u htAyo.
Malays, Siamese, Hindus. Chinese and
Mohammedans, each had a separate
stage. Shooting parties were organ.
ized for the Europeans by the Sulta1s
brother, the Rajah of Mudl.
On the eighth day, magnidceu.
procession was formed which march
ed around the town. In this process
sion we're many quaint and curious
things-big boxes in the shape Of
birds, while the people of irnportaGc,
were also carried about on thrones,
to add to the grandeur and importance
Of the scene. This lasted one hour,
then followed the picking OF enai. by
persons delegated for this task. They
marched seven times around bcauti-
full garden of flowers, each picking a
handful of leaves, great personagel
being allowed to pick a double guam
tity-all they could gather in two
hands. The leaves were subsequently
sprinkled over bride and groom sepa-
rately, each one receiving at the same
time good talking to-
Tue ninth day is spent in witness
ing fencing bouts and cock-fights, of
which pastimes the Siamese are eX-
tremely fond On the evening of the
tenth day, the bride and groom meet
for the first time. On the eleventh
and twelfth, there are more rounds of
gayety. The thirteenth and last day,
marks quaint and curious ceremony
called the lime BATH" beautiful
pavilion is erected, surrounded by
high brick walls, the gates of which
are locked after the arrival of the par
Elephants and spectators until the cere-
mony is over. The bride is carried
in, the groom walks, supported by his
two best men. The chief participants
are dressed in magnificent robes of
silk, garnished with much gold, and
sparkling with diamonds and other
brilliant gems. The bridal pair seat
themselves upon sort of golden
throne, reached by a fight of steps,
around which two old Malay women
walk, first on the highest STEP then
down gradually to the lowest, when
they disappear. Then two other wo-
men enclose the couple within cur
tains, where they remove the gorgeous
bridal robes and are there arrayed in
lighter garments.
The curtains are pulled open, at
which moment a torrent of water
belches forth from immense serpents,
which are reared on each side Of the
throne, and the royal couple are
drenched to the skin. Then to the as
tonishment of the spectators, the ma
tives seize buckets, fill them with seem
ted water from huge tubs and proceed
to drench everyone within the onclos-
ure; there is no escaping the bath, rs
the gates are securely locked, and the
men with the buckets are no respect.
ers of persons.
This indiscriminate assault by the
water-bearers continues until every
drop of water is gone, and every dress
ruined, to the discontinue of many
visiting European ladies, who waste
no time when the gates are unlocked
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