Went to my first Cambodian wedding on the weekend. The day before the big event I was asked to help teach an extra class at the church, with another visiting teacher from Australia and my friend Vatanak, so as preparation we taught the class about Australian weddings and Vatanak represented Cambodia and informed us Aussies about a Cambodian wedding.
I missed the fruit walk and most of the Khmer part of the wedding….these things start at 7am in the morning! When I arrived and found some of my friends to sit with so I could try and follow along what was happening. It was a lot of fun and rather different but it was great to experience the wonderful occasion in another culture.
Night is when the real party begins. I learnt that a Cambodian reception you can arrive whenever you want (ever 2 hours after the start time) and you just start a new table with the people who come at the same time and devour so much food. Music plays in the background and songs are preformed. Next the hosts did some talking with the bride and groom, the cake was cut and people grabbed fruit from around it.
Finally the part of the wedding everyone is waiting for happen….the dancing. Cambodians love the dance and they have some rhyme. I gave it a go but lets just say I shouldn’t make it my day job.
