Wedding traditions of Southeast Asia
Tea ceremonies and sinsod, adat and bersanding, the Batak ulos and the Balinese tooth-filing. 41 traditions on EveryShaadi so far.
Countries
🇧🇳 Brunei 6🇰🇭 Cambodia 5🇮🇩 Indonesia 28🇱🇦 Laos 3🇲🇾 Malaysia 10🇲🇲 Myanmar 4🇵🇭 Philippines 14🇸🇬 Singapore 7🇹🇭 Thailand 11🇹🇱 Timor-Leste 1🇻🇳 Vietnam 12
Cities and towns
On the calendar
🇧🇳 Brunei and 2 moreTengkolokتڠكولوق
A folded songket headcloth worn by Malay and Indonesian grooms at weddingsAttire · The ceremony
🇱🇦 Laos and 1 moreBaciບາສີ (Lao); บายศรี (Thai)
The wrist-tying ceremony that calls the soul back to restore balance and good luck.Blessing · The ceremony
🇮🇩 IndonesiaBeskapꦧꦼꦱ꧀ꦏꦥ꧀
The formal black jacket worn by Javanese men during weddings and official ceremonies.Attire · The ceremony
🇮🇩 Palembang, Indonesia and 2 moreSongketᬲᭀᬂᬓᬾᬢ᭄
A hand-woven brocade cloth patterned with gold or silver threads for traditional weddings in Southeast Asia.Attire · Engagement and betrothal
🇲🇾 Malaysia and 4 moreBaju Kurungباجو كوروڠ
The traditional blouse and skirt worn by Malay women for weddings and religious ceremoniesAttire · The weeks before
🇮🇩 IndonesiaUlosᯥᯞᯘᯬ᯲
The hand-woven textile that binds Batak couples in marriage and symbolizes warmth.Attire · The ceremony
🇮🇩 IndonesiaMinangkabau marriage
A matrilineal wedding tradition from West Sumatra where the groom moves into the bride's family home.Family role · Engagement and betrothal
🇻🇳 VietnamTraditional Vietnamese weddingLễ cưới truyền thống Việt Nam
The multi-stage ceremony of betrothal, engagement and union that marks a marriage in Vietnam.Attire · Finding a match
🇵🇭 Quezon City, PhilippinesBinukot
A Visayan custom of secluding young noblewomen to preserve their purity and elevate their marriage value.Betrothal · The weeks before
🇮🇩 IndonesiaKawung batikBatik Kawung
A traditional Indonesian textile pattern inspired by the kawung fruit and lotus flower.Attire · The ceremony
🇮🇩 Palembang, IndonesiaSeting clothes and Cual cloth
The red velvet top and intricate ikat skirt worn by Bangka Belitung brides and grooms.Attire · The ceremony
🇻🇳 Huế, VietnamÁo nhật bình
A rectangular-collared court robe worn by Nguyễn dynasty women for weddings and ceremonies.Attire · The ceremony
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Tengkolok: Riski Syahputra, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Minangkabau marriage: Mamasamala, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Baci: Dalbera, CC BY 2.0, source
- Beskap: Kris, Photographer of the Press, Media and Information Bureau of the P, Public domain, source
- Songket: Rijksmuseum, CC0, source
- Binukot: Francisco Ignacio Alcina, Public domain, source
- Kawung batik: Alteaven, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Áo nhật bình: Unknown author, CC0, source
- Baju Kurung: Ministry of Information official photographer, Public domain, source
- Ulos: Boy Lawson, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Traditional Vietnamese wedding: Gabrielle M. Vassal, Public domain, source