Red card, red summons

It's funny.

I did not get any hint of friends' weddings this year but in a span of 1 week, I have heard of 2 - Tsu Jiau (16 September), Keat (15 October, Penang), Chee Yee (16 October, Raub!) - and have to prepare myself for a few more next year - Sue San (after CNY 2006), Shih (mid-2006).

So many "summonses". I'll be SO broke in the next 2 months!

Weddings are often occassions to celebrate the union of 2 people who decide to spend the rest of their lives together as lovers and companions through the ups and downs of life.

In my ~Dreamworld~, I've always imagined weddings to be simple and fuss-free. Friends and relatives come together to rejoice and congratulate the happy couple; it is also an opportunity to catch up with old friends or relatives who come from near and far.

But, more often than not, a wedding is one of the most complex events that one could organise...

First & foremost, weddings are expensive in this 21st century - the wedding photography, the gown (rented or made), the invitation cards, the car & its decorations, the new bridal chamber, the tables for the wedding dinner, the wedding favours... the list goes on. Large weddings (20 tables & above) often cost a minimum of RM20,000 and may even come up to RM100,000 (if you opt for a 5-star hotel, a tailor-made wedding dress with Swavroski crystals and other luxuries).

Secondly, there are more rituals and traditions to follow than you can count on 10 fingers (especially Chinese superstitions) - and woe betide any couple who doesn't observe these rituals - may the gods have mercy on you when the relatives' tongues start wagging.

Both the bride & groom's family will want a say in how it is organised and who to invite.

Seating positions and tables have to be allocated properly to avoid eruptions of family feuds that already exist or may happen because it wasn't.

And for most of us Malaysian Chinese, we are caught in between a traditional wedding with all the rites & rituals as part of the package and the dream of having a Westernised wedding (small receptions, church weddings, garden parties).

Some of us have embraced religions such as Christianity or Theravadan Buddhism and may not think the traditional Chinese rituals and superstitions are worth observing - the roasted pig to be presented to the bride, the bright red decorations for the bridal chamber that are full meanings and hidden messages and not forgetting the do's and don'ts to obey to invite good luck (more wealth & more children *very important*) and avoid bad luck. I'm sure there are times that this may cause a rift between the couple and family members who think the rites should be observed.

+_+

Whatever it is, when all's said and done, though we often say we have been issued a "summon" when we receive a wedding invitation card in a pink envelope, a wedding is still a call for celebration. Just think about it - the RM50-100 that we put in the little ang pau (red packet) IS value for money when you have the wonderful opportunity to meet and chat with long-lost friends/relatives, to enjoy the filling 8 to 10 course dinner and to gulp down all the booze you can drink in one night.

Now isn't that a grand celebration for everyone?