I had seen weddings where fathers "gave away" their daughters in marriage. But in Indonesia, fathers often extract a price for their daughters at the wedding. I'm not sure which is more honoring for the daughter - to be "given away" or to be sold. ;-)
Not too long ago I was asked to participate in the wedding of Mr. Jem's son, as he presented the bride price to the family of the woman he would marry. I was surprised to discover, however, that Mr. Jem himself was not planning to attend, expecting me somehow to represent him. The gesture reflected trust in our relationship and it bestowed a special honor to me.
After the ceremony he and I talked about our growing history of working together to dry mangos, our many discussions about life principles and the great sense that he has that Allah has richly blessed him. "I need to keep learning from you because the Prophet Sulaiman says it's stupid not to learn."
To get a glimpse of the wedding check out the attached photo and click on this link: http://youtu.be/CJR7xVhTjds
Yes, we dry mangos. But people are the most important part of the production process. Sharing life with folks in the village is just one more morsel that is in Java Bite bag!
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