Caleb Falcon
A conventional Thai wedding retains numerous distinctive features, most of which are not followed today. But planning beforehand is necessary as some customs, such as religious ceremony, are still in practice.
Thais have immense faith on being auspicious. They need the wedding time and date to be auspicious. You need to seek astrologer's consultancy to check the compatibility of stars. This should be given priority above everything else. It is the start of a serious project, but don't worry. Anantara Bophut Koh Samui Resort & Spa, a Samui Hotel will customise your nuptials to accomplishment.
Some functions, such as religious ceremonies, do not require the usual wedding crowd. Only the relatives and close friends of the bridal couple will be gracing the occasions. The invitation wording lists the times of these ceremonies. Religious timing is supposed bring good luck if set up properly. The invitees make sure they visit the function on time wish the couple a good luck. The actual wedding reception, though, is very much casual and does not require punctuality as such.
Engagement and wedding are two different functions in most Asian countries. But most hold it on the same day on practical grounds such as saving money.
This simple religious ceremony is held the night before the wedding. The couple, donned in everyday attire, revere the ancestors of the bride.
Making merits is a Buddhist concept largely practised in Thailand. Thais carry out various activities to generate merits. One salient activity is offering donations to the monks by inviting them to the event. An animal about to be slaughtered could also be saved as a gesture to make merits. Freeing fish into the water and release a bird from a cage are related activities with the similar objective.
A Thai groom would also donate a considerable amount of money to a Buddhist temple intending a long love life throughout the marriage. He would also offer it in the name of the bride's parents to establish his respect for them.
Buddhist monks visit the couple early in the morning to bless them with prayers. No other visitor is supposed to eat before monks do. The monks' chants begin following the meals. They would pray with a lit candle kept in a bowl of water. This water is subsequently used to bless the couple.
In some occasions, the couple would visit the temple rather than having the monks visit them. Food will still be offered. Money donations in envelopes are placed on trays. It doesn't require you to be Buddhist, as most westerners opt for these rituals if they marry in Thailand. The monks are invited to grace the occasion for the blessing and merit-making purpose. You are at liberty to exempt the religious aspect from the wedding and have it as a private function.
The Buddhist rituals, on the other hand, do not make the couple the legal man and wife. Registration at the Amphur office is required to make the marriage legal
Khan maak man is Thai for 'engagement items'. This procession would leave the groom's premises for the bride's place. But things have changed in the modern context. The procession starts somewhere close to the bride's place, and is accompanied by various entertainer such as drummers and musicians. As the groom's party reaches the bride's place, the road is blocked by symbolical doors or gates.
A white cord is brought into the couple's heads and linked together, to offer the symbolic meaning that they have linked destiny. An elder from the bride's party performs this ritual. He would place bowl of flowers under the couple's hands and pours holy water to their hands. The water flows to the bowl through the couple's hands.
