We had the honour of being invited to a traditional Karen Hill Tribe wedding this month. The Karen tribes tend to keep events such as this fairly private. However, one member of the CREW is closely connected to the bride’s family, so all 3 of us tagged along.
Preparation for the day started the night before, cooking by the ladies went on all day and into the next morning. Decorations, arranging for the monks to bless the ceremony, invite friends and family from around the surrounding mountains.
The groom arrived at 6 am with his family, playing traditional instruments, alerting the Bride’s family. The ceremony is held here. Village elders conduct proceedings based on their traditions and customs. You’ll notice from the photos, the groom isn’t 100% Karen, hence no traditional dress code. Once married, he is now Karen and part of the tribe in full. The bride wears white, as do all unmarried ladies, until married when she adopts the more colourful and decorative dress.
Festivities lasted throughout the day. Monks gathered to bless the couple and families. Once food was eaten by them, the huge amounts of meals were eaten by all in attendance. Lam (a minced pork dish) was favourite, this is prepared by chopping the meat, which took place between 3 am and 5 am, not a quiet dish to prepare!
A few drinks but little in the way of dancing, not the Karen way. Traditional singing, chanting was sung by the village elders. Kids played, people chatted and us foreigners were made very welcome. Our visiting CREW member was presented with a shirt, made by the mother of the family, was another honour and a memory he’ll treasure.
The views from this small village are amazing. Once the smoke clears, you can see mountains up to 80 km from this viewpoint. Not an easy place to get to, a 4x4 or suitable motorbike (or some skill on unsuitable bikes), but well worth the trip. We stayed for 2 nights and will be visiting here regularly. I guess the next news from here will concern a new member to the tribe, in around 9 months!
The CREW would like to thank all the families and Karen tribesmen for this wonderful opportunity. Best wishes to the bride and groom.
For more photos of this event, click here.