Dwi and Yogho

Today I went to a neighbor’s wedding, Dwi and Yogho. I hadn’t met Yogho yet; he and his family live behind us. Music advertising the ceremony blared throughout the kompung – neighborhood – for nearly two days, save a few hours in the late night and early morning. As I walked around the two corners to the soccer field adjacent to our block, several men I knew approached me, seemingly surprised that I was attending the gala. Granted this is the first time I’ve attended a wedding in my own neighborhood, it was still shocking how excited my friends were that I was there.

One man, Pak Isro, his wife and two children in tow, invited me to attend with them. We walked under the tent, signed our names to the guest book, and shook hands with the entire wedding party, 28 in all. The bride shook my hand vigorously, accompanied by many words of thanks while her new husband smiled politely at her enthusiasm. Pak Isro commented with a sly grin that it’s not often an “orang asin” comes to honor a kompung wedding.

Everyone was beautifully adorned. In the states, shirts and ties, skirts and blouses are the norm. Here, everyone wears their best. Women spend hours at the salon having stints added, pulled up, and hair sprayed to the texture of concrete. I wore my batik shirt, which is appropriate, but most couples wore matching outfits of shimmering fabrics and intricate embroidery. I guess I’ll be doing shopping.

After multiple plates of food, sharp tasting beverages, and plenty of live Javanese singing, my full stomach prompted me to move toward the exit. The man organizing the entertainment intercepted me to ask if I’d like to sing. Knowing that he wasn’t joking, I thought it best that I didn’t either. “No, but thank you,” I declined attempting to do so without a tremor. With 300 guests chatting and eating, all the while the number increasing, I dropped an envelope in the locked box at the sign-in and followed my guide, Pak Isro, out the front entrance.

Only 14 days until my next friend’s wedding. And now I know not to eat before I go.