The Tea Ceremony

Yesterday was a busy day as we got ready for the tea ceremony that would begin in the afternoon and later that evening, there would be a dinner for our Kuala Lumpur relatives and friends.

A visit to the hairdressing salon for the bride's hairdo and bridal makeup was scheduled in the morning. I myself had a wash and blow-dry as my hair is short. The young lady did a good job, using a lot of hairspray to make sure that my hair would stay in place. I decided that if the outcome wasn't good then I would resort to a wig! However it turned out fine.

The tea ceremony is the formal introduction of the bride into the groom's family.

The bride is dressed in traditional red bridal wear encrusted with beads and sequins.
The young couple offer tea to family members, beginning with the groom's parents and then family members followed by relatives. When the cup of tea is offered, the recipient has to finish drinking it as leaving some behind indicates that the person does not welcome the bride into the family. Not to accept it tantamounts to refusal to acknowledge the marriage.


After drinking the tea, the recipient gives the couple monetary gifts and jewellery. Here are some photographs of the tea ceremony.


Later the young ones in the family will offer tea to the bridal couple and in turn they receive red packets ( ang pao) containing money. The oldest single will offer tea in pecking order until the youngest's turn.


Meanwhile there are cakes and drinks to be partaken.

The Big Day Dawns

Today is the Big Day, not only for my son but also for us. My son Peter is getting married to Siew Min, a sweet lovely lass. Here is Peter trying to get a perfect bow tie and his sister Grace helps him.

We leave for church a short while later with Grace driving, using the GPS as she is not familiar with Singapore. Here are some photos of the wedding.









The "yum seng" or toast was really deafening as all guests toasted to the young couple's happiness. It was truly a great day for all of us, a lovely rainbow in our lives.
More on the tea ceremony in the next post....

Closer Draws the Day

Today is the day the wedding rehearsal was held in the church where the marriage will be solemnised next week.

We do not really have a role to play as it is the bride and the bride's father and the page boy and page girl together with the bridesmaids that have to know when and how to enter the church.

We ourselves had only a registry wedding where both fathers were present and acted as witnesses. That said, I wasn't a Christian then.

My dresses are ready and so are my shoes. However my handbag will be the same one that has been doing duty for the last few years.

I will be wearing a sarong and kebaya for the church wedding and a long gown for the dinner. It's quite exciting to have an occasion to dress up for and this is an occasion indeed, the wedding of our only son.

In fact, there were five Dragon ( the Chinese lunar year ) babies born in our family that year (1976). My siblings had their babies that year too so we had two male dragons and three female dragons. All of them are married and our son is the last of the Dragons to get hitched. The girl dragons already have their own babies but the boys haven't yet. My Dragon nephew based in the UK is a very busy doctor with an amazing musical talent. He wont be able to make it for the wedding as he has to present a paper on that same day.

All my siblings except one will be present to witness the marriage of our son and I'm very moved by their support. We've always been a close-knit family, thanks to our late mum. I'm sure she's very happy too in the next dimension. She looked after him for 6 months when I was too ill at that time to look after him myself. Am looking forward to the weekend and will have lots of photos to post after that. I'm delighted to be able to share my happiness with my readers and I'm sure you are happy for me too. Cheers!

Borneo Orchid Show

Borneo sounds exotic and more often than not conjures images of unexplored jungles,
primates and in the minds of the uninitiated, people still living in tree tops.

However the reality is quite different. On this large island are three different nations, the largest of which is Kalimantan, a part of Indonesia and the sovereign nation of Brunei sandwiched between the two Malaysian states of Sarawak and Sabah.

Just a few days ago the Borneo Orchid Show was officiated by the country's TOurism Minister. It was showcased in one of the shopping malls in Kota Kinabalu, the capital of East Malaysia.
The air-conditioned premises made it more comfortable to view the displays of many varieties of orchids in Sabah.

Indeed the different species of orchids are beautiful to behold.
Some blooms were large while others were tiny, just about one centimeter across.



The Slipper Orchid, a very rare species,
has been chosen to be Sabah's official bloom, just as the red hibiscus is Malaysia's national flower. Its beauty is ethereal compared to the rafflesia, the world's largest bloom.



Flowers are always associated with beauty and different flowers carry messages, for example, the red rose symbolises love which is why on Valentine's Day, red roses are de rigeur. Orchids have always been regarded as exotic blooms, rare and expensive, a highly valued gift and to have a hybrid named after one, is indeed an honour. How would you like to be compared to an orchid?