Wedding traditions of Medan
The city of the Batak, whose wedding is the adat of ulos cloth, gifts of rice and a ritual of the gifts passing back and forth.
A Batak wedding is an exchange between families. The ulos, a woven cloth, is given to the couple by relatives as a blessing, and the structure of the wedding follows the kinship system, the dalihan na tolu.
A wedding here
In the adat event, the groom's side presents a bridewealth, the sinamot, and the bride's side replies with rice, fish and ulos. Each cloth given has a meaning of warmth and protection. Songs and dances with the gondang drum and a feast of pork or buffalo follow, depending on the faith of the family.
Where weddings happen
Gedung halls, churches and adat halls. Batak weddings are often held in Medan, even for families from the lakeside regions.
The season and the calendar
Weddings follow church dates. Many Protestant Batak weddings are held on Saturdays.
Wedding customs of Medan
Also part of it, and being written: Batak people (The communities of North Sumatra.), Gondang (The drum ensemble.), Sinamot (The bridewealth in Batak custom.).
A wedding trail idea for Medan
- Pasar Sukaramai A market.
- Maimun Palace A palace.
- Wedding shops of central Medan Where Batak ulos and gold are sold.
Written by the EveryShaadi desk with AI assistance. Opening hours, venues and wedding-season dates change; check locally before travelling. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
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Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Ulos: Boy Lawson, CC BY-SA 3.0, source