OF SOUKHUAN AND LAOS Elena Gregoria Chai Chin Fern Faculty ...

should conduct herself in the presence of the senior members of her husband’s
household, how she should not wake up later than her husband, how she should not go
out when the sun is setting and many more. When all the khuan of the bride-to-be has
come to the Phakhuan, the tying of the fai mon kon (the white cotton thread) began.
Similar to other Soukhuan ceremony, the Mor Phon is the first person to tie the wrists
of the bride-to-be and this is followed by the elders. Other relatives and friends will
only have this done to them in Soukhuan Nyai (Big Soukhuan ceremony) to be held on
the wedding day itself.
After the Mor Phon has offered thanks to the thevada and invited them to return to the
heavens, the Soukhuan Noi ceremony comes to an end officially. This is followed by a
big buffet meal with unlimited flow of alcohol served in the house yard. Lao and Thai
folk songs are sung and sometimes pop songs are performed by hired musicians. Men
and women form a circle and dance the Lamvong, a Khmer traditional dance found in
Laos and Cambodia.
Lamvong is a slow revolving circle dance where men stand on the inside of the circle
and the women on the outside. Dancers will move their hands slowly in expressive
gestures. This will continue until midnight. Sometimes, relatives and friends become
drunk and put up the night at the host’s house.
Next morning, family members of the bride and groom are dressed in Sut Teng Dong
or wedding suit. The bride could wear any colour whereas the groom should avoid
wearing red colour or an entirely black suit since black represents solemnity. On a
‘bright’ and auspicious day, any ‘solemn’ coloured attire is not permitted. Red
symbolizes ‘blood’ and it is a taboo for the groom to wear such a ‘dangerous’ colour.
A man dressed in red symbolizes a bleeding man in an accident or war. As for the
bride, red Sut Teng Dong is permitted as bleeding in woman is associated with the
monthly menstrual cycle which symbolizes fertility. When the Nyamdi (the auspicious
time selected by the Mor Phon) approaches, the groom’s party set out to the bride’s
house. Just before the party leaves, an elderly person lights a candle that will be
carried by the groom to the bride’s house. Once lit, a crowd of elders or friends will
escort the groom while drumming gongs and playing the Khaen (Lao flute) creating a
noisy atmosphere. As the groom’s party arrive at the front gate of the bride’s house,
representatives of the latter will ask, “Where does the young, charming prince come
from? What does he want?” The groom’s side replied, “We come from a big palace
from the huge mountain on the other side. We have lots of gold and silver in our
palace. We have lots of land and harvest. We heard of how beautiful and kind the
princess is and on this very good day, our prince has come to marry her”. The bride’s
family will reply, “If this is the truth, prove it!” The groom’s family then takes out a
few big kip notes (Lao currency) and hand them over to the bride’s party saying “We
have sacks of money in our palace.” The banter continues for some twenty minutes
until finally the bride’s party gives in and asks the groom’s party to drink a few
glasses of strong Lao Lao (rice wine).
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