After the
understanding between the matured Rakhaine boys and girls, they proposed each
other by their family members.
Mumnmg Ba Aung’
said that the guardians of the sons search a suitable girl for their sons. ([1])
There is also
the selection of “Good Day
and Good Timetable”. Then, on a unpair day, the
relatives have to go to fix the date by looking upon the Rakhaine book. But,
the divorce, widow, second marriage women can not go to this visit. This is the
way; the people go to the bride’s house. After seeing the date of the birth of
bride, the both people fixed their speech.
The Rakhaine said that they have great attempt to reserve their
children’s birth date. In the period, they wrote it in the leaf and they reserved
it by withering it like valuable papers. The monks calculate the future life of
the bride and bridegroom by seeing their by not seeing any complication. The
Rakhaine think that the bride and bridegroom can not be happy or can be unhappy
in family by the complication. The Rakhaine think that three month are bad
times for the marriage of mature bridegroom and bridge. These months are the
rising of the moon of “July” (Oyasolar), “August” (Oyakhonla),
and “September” (Tochala) before the rising of the moon of “October”
(Ojoila). For question, the Rakhaine replied that the monks and Rakhaine people
are absorbed in prayer in this day. For that, the marriage works are stopped in
those months and the worst times are thought the month of “January”
(Prachola). There is a public opinion that the family who do not believe this,
their family can not be long or they pass bad times. They tell very ‘good
(Kongo Kaure) when they fix the date and the young boys and girl attend the
ceremony in a body. They proposed to give money for their own occasion (Bora
Kha Tango Pi). There is running a bargain. They become happy by taking
5,000-10,000 taka. They amuse themselves by taking this. The bridegroom present
5-6 Vori gold and there is a quarrel by saying that the bride stay in her
father house or father in law’s house. At a time all things has come out. The
both family take preparation when the marriage day is being deleted. On the
following day, all people go to the bride’s family. But before the day, the
preparation is being completed in the bride’s house among them, the gate,
pandel, sound, own cultural song, dance, wine of “Mehud Pan” are one of
them. The bridegroom wears violet color cloth and takes a sword in his hand.
Then, all the people burst out enjoyment. Then there starts a bargain in
the bride’s house. The young girl
becomes happy in a few stages. Then the step of the permission is the entrance
of the bride’s family.
“Maung Ba Aung” has said that there is no occasion in the divorce
and remarriage system ([2]).
He also says that the bridegroom can not marry the brides own sister when the
bride remain alive Again, the absence of wife, the bridegroom can marry the
brides younger sister but not the older sister.
The Rakhaine propose the bride’s family first on there the oldest
man or parents can be the proposed.
Maung Ba Aug has said that the relative’s friends can communicate
the primary occasion with the bride house ([3]).
When the proper appear at the bride’s
house they have been fed with great dignity. There Bine rice besides with sea
fish, meat etc.
The boy or girl can marry by liking each other but, the parents can
agree with their children’s marriage. Again the boys and girl marry when the
parents do not give agreement in their love. In present marriage system, there
is a notice able thing that the parents give a chance to next the bride and
bridegroom each other. But, this system has been extracted nowadays. This thing
has been said in the Maung Ba Aung’s book. For that, he has taken the developed
communication technology and information. But the older think that there will
be seen by marrying liking each other. So they do not insult their children’s
work rather than they prefer their children’s happiness. The marriage place is
in the bride’s house.
But here is a change in it. For example, the marriage place is now
in the community place. So there is a priority in financial natters. This is quite
impossible for a middle order or rich man. As the marriage occasion is not
limited in their community, so the food’s menu is now changing. The Rakhaine
invite their Muslim and Hindu neighbor besides their own relatives. So, they
take some steps in choosing the food’s menu. Because, the Hindu does not eat
the meat of cow, so there is the meet of hen and goat.
There is a chef for cook. The chef selects the all items. As the
Rakhaine are the Buddhist they do not kill any animal, so, they take help from
other to collect the goat’s meet. There is a priority in the food’s menu like
Bini rice, sea fish, meat, soas, various kinds of piths etc. They take it serious for their
communistically problem. But the starting of the food item is the tea. The tea
is different to us from, them. Because, they give salt in it and for reason, as
there is salt in the water of the Rakhaine they do it, and it is very popular
with them. The occasion stats bettor one or two bays. Because, there is a
festival look every where.
Maung Ba Aung has presented it on his book. He has said in his
discussion that the house of new couple is decorated nicely. ([4])
There is a lighting everywhere and the house are decorated by
flowers, different color of clothes, page and amusing balloon. Generally, the middle of the house is selected the marriage place.
There is a sound system in which they play different song loudly. But, in the
pant, there is no sound system like nowadays. That time was the microphone
system. But, the present youth prefer sound box to microphone and dancing. As
there is no dowry system in Rakhaine tribe, so there is no problem to break up
the marriage in any family problem.
Before the day of marriage, the bride invites her close friends and
the bridegrooms also do that to participate in their marriage. The boy friends
invite a “Bachelor night” or “chocolate party” to awes
themselves, its main principle is to do a happy festival.
The time of this festival is from 12 am to 1 am. The youth drink
wine and play dance with their music in the festival. But there is a line it in
drinking the wine. There is a look anyone can not be drunkard. But inn many
cases, the boys drink a lot. But in the Rakheine marriage system, the Rakhaine
youth generation play a great role.
The rich man plays a stage show to amuse themselves in the marriage
occasion, in where the Rakhaine boys and girls amuse themselves. The Rakhaine girls play jokes better the
marriage day. In a fined time they go to their home. But anyone can be with the
bride in the whole night.
The previous day of marriage the bride is bathed by the leat. It is
a holy thing to the Rakaine people. So, the bride will be happy by bathing into
this way.
So few days ago before marriage, the Buddhist monk is taken in the
house. In the marriage day the monk go to the fined house in bridegroom’s house
and he says the religious rule and various things. Inn
that time, the relatives, friends and parents are present. In the same way, the
monk (Bante) goes to the bride’s house to say the religions rule. The
monk bade farewell by praying well-wishing. Then the bride or bridegroom’s
parents present gold made ornament, money. On this time the new couple takes
pray from the parents. Then the second session of presenting is started. In
this time, the relatives resent nice things by going in the new couple’s home.
On this there is priority of the daily uses of new couple rather money. Though
the past rule was to give money, but new this thing has been changed. The new
couples have to take some reules.
When people come to give this thing the authority have to keep betel
leaf, cigarette, or wishing card. The new couple distributes this thing to the
coning relations.
“Maung Ba Aung” has showed the way of saying religions rule by the
monk in his book besides he has said the rules of giving present to the new
couple in his hook. ([5])
Though the monk say the religions rule to the new couple in the
morning but the main occasion will start on the afternoon. As the Rakhaine are
the male dominated, so the occasion is started on the bride’s house. When the
bridegroom’s people go to the bride’s house, they make a line maintaining. In
this case the old get the priority of going ahead, then the life of brother,
sister and at the last, the bridegroom come in the line. In this case, Maung Ba
Aung says in his Book that a group of wife’s carry a bowl which front paint
looks like “Pagoda” or “Jadi” and they go to the bride’s house. In this
bowl there are the gold ornament dresses, cosmetics, fresh flower bride. In the
marriage system, the Rakhaine take everything in pairs. For example, there is pair
of potato, a pair of fish, a pair of apple etc.
The people use transport went they go too far for the bride’s house.
But, they used to make line to opera before the transport. The friends of
bridegroom take a briefcase or bag to keep the bed cloth, the pipe of smoking
the pot of betel leaf, fan etc. The Rakhaine boys go to the marriage
traditionally. The boy’s dresses are two kinds. One is the shirt with long
sleeves and on this shirt there is like something petticoat, and with that
there is a long cloth. The long shirt is the violet colour. There are two cross
bar on this petticoat (this bar is generally the silver colour).
The Rakhaine boys wear a crown on his head that is also the brown
colour. The second part is the “Barmij Lungi”. The Rakhaine bridegrooms
wear the shirt in with the Lungi. Generally, this dress has to export from Myanmar.
Because this dress is a cloth on which the dress generally does not wear on
every time. There is a “sword” in the bridegroom’s house.
The bride’s dress his generally two parts. The first part is the blouses
which reach to the waist and the second part is the “Barmij Lungi”. The girls
make their hair attractive and they generally adorn their hair with flower. The
brides also wear a long cloth.
When the bridegroom reach to the bride’s house the relatives of hime
enter into the room directs but the bridegroom enter into the room with his
close friends. The friends and the bridegroom take rest by seating a rant. On
this time the friends, younger sister make fun with the bridegroom and the
bridegroom give away “Khai”, “Perfume water” etc. The main thing of them
is the “Perfume fine rice”. They
mix the rice with the same kind of rice from the brides house and make a food
named Mangolic which cam be called “Payesh”.
The bride is adorned with various items; especially the bride is
aborted with the ornament by the bridegroom and bride’s house giving. In the
marriage, the bridegroom gives “Ason” on the presence to the all for the
bride. This process is generally priority to the mother, sister. The bridegroom
enters the bride’s room in a fired time. But this entrance has an own style,
the bridegroom has to hit on the gerund or staircase by the sword before the
entrance. The present Rakhaine girls are very much conscious about the
adornment. So they go to the beauty parlar to take away their highest beauty.
This beauty Parlier is generally directed by the Rakhaine girls. The
bridegroom has to pay many to the bride’s friends or younger sister before
entering the bride’s house. And for this money, they wash away the tag of the
bridegroom. Because they believe that before going to the bride’s house by not
washing away hands and legs, it is bad to them. The bridegroom has to wash his
hands by the keeping water in the front of the bride’s house.
“Maung Ba Aung” ([6])
has discussed it very nicely. He said, which his generally matched by my real
experience in the field. But the rule of entering the bride’s house by cutting
a lace is not generally found in Cox’s Bazar but in the region of Patuakhali,
Barguna. But in my real experience, I have acknowledged that the bridegroom can
enter into the bride house when he cuts the lace and after this, the sedentary people
scatter flower to the bridegroom and his friends. In the marriage seating
place, the old or friend or relatives of bridegroom sit besides him.
On the other side, there has come some change in the bride’s favour.
Now-a-days, there is not available any lady in there. The marriage occasion
start by following the religious rule. Then, the bride and bridegroom are tied
by cotton. The cotton has five circles. They follow the rules of seating the
couple, for example, the bride has to seat left beside the bridegroom. The
bride’s right hand’s short finger has been placed to the bridegroom’s left hand
short finger. Because, they believe that they will be remain happy with love.
Maung Ba Aung has showed it in his book. The new couple’s hands have
been replaced on each other and they have been pured by the “Rose apple”
water. As the “Rose apple” water is holy to them, they consider it as a
holy in their mind and Buddhist religion. The bridegroom gives his crown on the
bride’s head and the brides also do that and then the bride take wish from the
bridegroom.
The bridegroom presents gift for the wish of the bride. After that
the bridegroom and the bride have to eat seven times a wishing pot. On this
time they throw nice water by believing that it wills increase their happiness
in life. A there is no written deal in the marriage, the new couple declared to
live in the society. After finishing the occasion the bride has to make his
bridegroom drink and the bridegroom also do the same. Then the bride hold a
mirror in front of the bridegroom and the bridegroom also do that to see each
others face. The bride covers her face with a cloth before that. Then the
eating system is started. There is a difference in this system. For example the
bride’s people have to eat on seating a special “chair” and “piri”.
The table’s height is the one or one halt hand and the piri is one foot or the
same.
There has come a change in this system although the other people eat
on seating high chair and table. Because the rich are arrangeing the occasion
in community centres now. So, they have to eat on seating high chair and table.
But in the brides house the Rakhaine follow the above thing. The food menu is
the sea-fishes, shutki, meat, saus, white rice, Bini rice payesh etc. There is
a broad list in the bridegroom’s food menu. The frionds gets different items
berides that. The friends and relatives of him also eat that food. After eating
the younger sister, friends of bride make him wash in his hands, and legs.
The bridegroom has to pay money inn lieu of this. The relatives
coming to the brides house, has to give a gift. But they generally pay money
and give the necessary things for using. The priest goes to the place in the
morning and after that he goes out. The friends of the bride pass their time by
singing and dancing. After the occasion the grandparents or aunt (parental) go
with the bride. The head teacher of Barmij
Primary school named “Ume” says the younger sister go with her occasionally.
But, the old shies different
from the comment of the teacher. They also omit one speech with the teacher.
And that is the relatives who go with the bride she has to sleep between the
new couple. The old says that it does not happen anytime. They agree with the
teacher inn the following case. The bridegroom keeps a sword between them. The
new peek for bride is the bridegroom’s house. The new couples generally go to
bride’s house in between 3 or 10 day after their marriage. But the interesting
point is that the bridegroom can not stay at the first night in the bride’s
house. Before dusk, he has to go his own home.
But after the next arrival, he can stay in the bride’s home. The
socialist of big Rakhaine has said that it has no comments. The son’s family
can not claim anything because there is no dowry system in the Rakhaine
community. But, the girl’s family can provide necessary things for their girl’s
happiness. And the new couples start their life in this way.
(MD. ASHADUL ISLAM)
JnU
[1]. Maung Ba Aung (Maung Ba); (1st edition: 30 April 2008), “Nga
Ro Rakhaing”; Publish by Maung Mang Nine (Maung Mang), p. 151.
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