While browsing through MTU Sempoi Forum, I found a topic about the up coming wedding of The Royal Brunei couple, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Pg Muda Hj Al-Muhtadee Billah and Dayangku Sarah binti Pengiran Salleh Ab Rahaman. Accoring to Brudirect.com, the ceremony will take place on September 9, 2004.

Before the wedding day, the Royal groom and Royal bride will have to go through several traditional ceremonies for the Royal wedding and last night they went through the sixth ceremony called “Berbedak”. When reading through the article, berbedak sounds like our local malay tradition which is called ‘Merenjis’ whereby the couple will sit on a ‘pelamin’ (a special raised dais) and with their palms open on their laps facing the assembled audience. Then, several items will be placed and sort of thrown (or should I say showered) to the bride and groom. I’m not really sure what are the actual ingredients for merenjis but I know air mawar (rose’s water) and “bunga rampai” is a must.

But in Brunei, it’s a little bit different. “Berbedak” ceremony requires various coloured powders mixed with perfumes giving out a nice scent is applied on the palms of the bride and the groom during the ceremony. After the Berbedak application the sweet smelling Bunga Rampai which is made from certain leaves (Pandan) cut into pieces after being left to dry for a day are taken away by those present as some sort of token. What makes it much more special is that only the fourth finger of the right hand is used for the Berbedak.

Even the “akad nikah” which was held yesterday sounds grand and full of traditional element. Congratulation to the newly-wed Royal couple.

Source:

• Berbedak ceremony
• Istiadat Akad Nikah Diraja