A Malaysian Chinese Wedding

INTRODUCTION

A wedding is a joyous occasion celebrating the union of newlyweds and their families. Some weddings can be grand and last for days while some can be small and personal. Whatever style or form weddings can be … I knew I was going to be faced with a lot of decision-making and challenges the day my bumble bee proposed to me on November 24, 2010. Even so, the excitement was immense!

Malaysian Chinese weddings incorporate both modern and traditional Chinese customs, which makes it very unique. There’s a reason why I label the wedding as “Malaysian Chinese.” A “Malaysian” wedding by itself, can mean a Malay wedding, Chinese wedding, or an Indian wedding because Malaysia is a multiracial country. Back in the days, Malaysia was a hot spot to immigrate for native Chinese in China . My grandparents fled the communist country to seek a better life in Malaysia. Like many others, even from India, they brought with them their skills and heritage, henceforth contributing to Malaysia’s melting pot of culture. I always like to clarify this because many people in North America think Malaysians are all Malays and Muslims – so not the case. It’s ridiculous how ignorant people are in thinking we all still live in trees and wear grass skirts.

Anyway, sometimes it’s quite a pity, whereby modern beliefs and lifestyles have influenced youth of today to let go of practicing their heritage due to inconvenience or irrelevance. In all honesty, I did not know everything there was to know about a Chinese wedding. Planning this with my family and in-laws allowed me to delve deep into why certain things are done a certain way. As I re-live the experience through my writing, I hope to be able to share this knowledge here, and perhaps pass down these stories to my future generations, in hopes that they will understand and practice centuries old of a tradition; a Chinese way of celebrating one of the most important milestones in one’s journey in life.