Our friend Scott who comes to help us, he really likes Isan culture. And he decided to get married in Isaan local style with his girlfriend, Effie, in Bueng Khan, Nongkhai. So we arranged the wedding for him. We invited some old people and friends to come to the ceremony and explained how the ceremony would be going for him and Effie.
In the morning around 6 of the wedding day, Nalin, Dalyn and Yoon took Scott and Effie to give food to the monks who take the arms-bowl around the village to collect some food every morning. To make sure that they do in the right way, Nalinrat taught them how to give food to the monks as taking shoes off and wishing before giving food to them. When the monks came both of them did a great job.
In is traditional to feed the monks of Thailand every morning.
While the groom and bride were dressing and making up by Nalin. Eva, Dalyn, Takaya, Pafan and Yoon helped taking care of the guests.
When the time of marry the old people came and told the groom and bride to sit down on the beautiful seat and sit in the nice way. The old lady who never got divorced put the garland on the neck and put Mongkol, the connecting rope, on the head of the groom and bride, and also painted the white powder on the forehead of them
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Hon, the Buddhist spiritual man, started chanting in the local language to the groom and bride. This chanting is the teaching of how to live, to act and to speak to each other, and to wish the groom and bride to be healthy, happy, long live and rich and have the nice kids. After the chanting, the people came Pukkaen, to tight the bans around the arm, the groom and bride and give them blessing at the same time. This part we call Baisri Sukwan.
After that the people came and used the conch watered hands the groom and bride and blessing again. Then the groom and bride will take the Mongkol out of head. They would be noticed by the guests. If the groom takes it out first that would mean the groom has more power than the bride. If the bride starts first that would mean opposite thing. Then the groom and bride gave the gifts to the guests and say thank you for coming.
Then it’s the time for the parent of both sides to send the groom and bride in to their bedroom. The parent would teach the groom and bride more how to live, to speak and to act to each other. In the normal way the parent will teach a lot of things, but I remember only one thing that is about the trouble. There are two kinds of trouble those are inside and outside trouble. We compare trouble as a fire or ‘fai’ in Thai.
What is inside trouble? Inside trouble or Fai nai means the trouble that happened from your family and should not tell anybody else, because they will tell others too. They would say badly about and minimized your family. Also your trouble could become theirs too if they still take or think about it. We compare the trouble as the fire which it’s burning your family, if someone from your family tells other people it could be like you burn that family too.
What is outside trouble? The outside trouble or Fai nok is the opposite thing of Fai nai. ‘Fai nai ya nam ok, Fai nok ya nam kao’ is known well by most of old Thai people which means: Inside trouble don’t take and tell any outside people. Outside trouble don’t take and tell anyone in your family.
After the parent took the groom and bride to the bedroom, it’s the time to eat. So every one brought food out and the guests started eating. Dalyn invited the local singer, Mr. Kiet, to sing while the guests were eating. He has beautiful voice and every one loved his song. Every one kept singing after eating also dancing. It’s really beautiful cerebration. We wish Scott and Effie has lovely family and happy…
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