Wednesday 3 June 2009

Ikan di laut, asam di darat

It has been a very busy weekend. My nephew who is originally from Johor Bahru, got married to a sweet young lass from Alor Star in Kedah. On Saturday, we made the long travel up north as part of the rombongan pengantin lelaki (groom's entourage).

After the bernikah (wedding vows) ceremony, we took the opportunity to visit a brother-in-law of mine in Kangar, Perlis. We have just now returned back to JB from Kangar, a drive of around 750km. I have now driven the full length of the North-South Expressway.

The groom's father now lives in Rawang, Selangor. Next weekend is the reception at his place. It means that, for three consecutive weekends, I'll be doing some long-distance driving and becoming a loyal customer of Plus Expressways Bhd. Thank god for energy drinks.

So please pardon me if this post contains more pictures than text. I'll write about the wedding and the trip up north in upcoming entries.

My congratulations to Dr. Fathhullah Azmie Bin Nawawi and Nur Wahidah Binti Abidin. May the coming years be filled with warmth, joy and understanding.

Selamat Pengantin Baru. Semuga kekal hingga ke anak cucu.

The groom showing his array of gifts to the bride

The groom with his three sisters

Nine trays of hadiah hantaran

In the mosque with the Tok Qadi reading out the khutbah nikah

The Tok Qadi cracking a joke to relieve the groom's nervousness

The groom reading out his lafaz takliq

All clear... time to put pen on paper

The bride signing her agreement to be a wife

The groom is all-smiles even before the ink on the paper has dried

Handing over of the dowry from husband to wife

Part of the bride's gifts in return include a Sony Playstation 3. Now that's new!

The groom in an emotional embrace with his mother when it is all over and done

Footnote : The title of this post refers to a Malay proverb which in whole, reads : Ikan di laut, asam di darat. Dalam belanga bertemu jua. I do not know of an English equivalent but the approximate meaning is that though two hearts may be far apart (figuratively, of different worlds), it is destiny that they would meet one day and be joined in matrimony.

15 comments:

zafi said...

i really miss my mum now... sob sob!!! Nice stuff!

Kama At-Tarawis said...

Awwww..! This is such a sweet, sweet posting. I have always liked to read about weddings and stuff, for it makes me feel good. Kepada pengantin, selamat berbahagia hingga ke anak cucu. Psstt.. jangan asyik main playstation ajer tau! hehehehe...

Unknown said...

awwww..... so sweet!

I love weddings. Orang punya lah...
Hehehe...

mamasita said...

What beautiful photos. Ahhh..my adik yang anak 2 tu nama dia Fathullah jugak.

A wedding is always so beautiful that tears of happiness automatically flows freely.

Snakebite said...

playstation for hantaran? apa plan dia org agaknya....nak simpan untuk anak main? masa tu dah ada ps10 dah agaknya. or masa honeymoon main playstation? keh keh

D said...

When I was a little girl, I used to wonder, why some people had to 'cry' on their wedding day (my older sisters didn't!). But when the day came for me, I smeared my make-up when I looked up into my aunts and step aunts' eyes.

Hmmph... modern age wedding with game consoles as gifts! My dad would have protested! Hehe.. He still insists that eggs be given as 'bunga telur' souvenirs from the family (as opposed to sweeties and cuppies) to guests as it symbolises fertility! :)

Anonymous said...

Oldstock...

Sweet couple.. congrats to your nephew & wife. Semuga kekal hingga keakhir hayat... Amin.

Playstation..??
I've seen one steering wheel as "hantaran"... bebudak sekarang nie..tak mcam kita dulu2..eh..??

miezarra

Fadhil said...

Zafi,

Relaks beb. Your mum knows you are far away to do good things.

Fadhil said...

Kak Aji Kama,

I jested with the groom why there was no iPhone 3G as part of the hantaran. He said that they had thought about it but since both bride and groom already have relatively new mobile phones, they opted for the PS3.

But as you said, jgn khayal layan PS3 sampai lupa isteri baru dah le!

Fadhil said...

Verse,

I love weddings too... mine included, heheheh!

Fadhil said...

Mamasita,

It was a fun and memorable occasion. Mula-mula tu, there was a lot of usik-mengusik and laughter. When it came to the part of salam-bersalaman, the groom couldn't hold back his tears. This caused some of the uncles and aunts to cry too. I'll write about this in my next post.

Fadhil said...

Tok snake,

I imagine the following conversation between husband and wife relating to the playstation :

Wife : (dengan nada suara yg manja) Yang... marilah kita masuk tidor. Takyah la main playstation tu lagi...

Husband : Alaa... you masuk tido la dulu. I tengah main FIFA 09 ni, tengah leading. Jap lagi boleh score hattrick!

Wife : Huh! Menyesal I bagi hantaran PS3!

Fadhil said...

D,

Itu kan dikira sebagai tangisan gembira. Kira ok la tu.

In the case of this particular nephew, the significance of the occasion is more pronounced if we know some history. Fathullah Azmie was born premature... the first month of his life was spent in an incubator. His parents didn't have much hope that he'll make it.

But by the grace of Allah swt, he survives and is now on his way to make a family of his own.

Fadhil said...

Mie,

Perhaps the steering wheel is used to represent a car. If the groom got a car as part of hadiah hantaran, then that probably tops it all.

Fadhil said...

Emila,

Selected photos are also posted in my FB profile.