The happy couple. (Photo courtesy of Elliot Pelling)
Our trekking guide first noticed something was amiss as we approached the Pa O village school. The children were not inside the one room schoolhouse. Instead they were creating a circle of chaos in the school yard.
“Where is your teacher?” Nan San, our guide, inquired in the local language.
“She is not coming today. There is a wedding down the hill,” the children replied with wild smiles.
Nan San, the guide, grew visibly excited. Of course, we still had no idea what was happening. The interaction took place in the local language. Nan San explained as patiently as she could and our group quickly decided that an investigation into the wedding rituals of the Pa O tribe would be the perfect break from 6 hour trek.
As we approached the house where the wedding was held, the air was festive. Merry people wearing traditional tribal clothing loitered around the village. There were smiles all around.
Villagers in traditional clothing outside of the bride’s family home. (Photo courtesy of Elliot Pelling)
Nan San explained that instead of having a ceremony and a party, tribal people will have an all-day event in either the bride’s or groom’s family house. The ceremony merely consists of telling the eldest tribe member that these two people are now married. At this particular wedding, which was on a Wednesday, over 700 people were invited. From 8AM until 2AM these guests would come and go as they pleased to munch on the candy, beans, tea leaves, potato chips, and green tea and give their blessings to the newlyweds.
Before entering the wedding, we gave some money to the bride and groom at a booth set up outside the house for that purpose. No actual gifts are given.
Booth set up outside for the collection of money. (Photo courtesy of Elliot Pelling)
Inside the atmosphere was surprisingly less jovial than out. The bride and groom sat awkwardly next to each other in the corner while guests loitered about, enjoying the free snacks. I don’t think I saw the bride or groom smile or laugh the entire time we were there. Perhaps this is because intimacy doesn’t really exist in tribal villages until after marriage. It is quite common that a husband and wife never even hold hands before marriage.
Before we continued on our way to Inle Lake, we wished the bride and groom a happy marriage by tying their wrists with matching strings.
“Now their children will have pale faces,” laughed the village chief from his spot on the floor as we took our leave.
What a neat experience! Funny guy that village chief. Sounds like he was the only one with a sense of humor.