The wedding of Prince Abdul Mateen, the fourth son of Brunei's Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah and Princess Anisha Rosnah, the granddaughter of the Sultan's Special Advisor, took place from January 7-16 in the capital Bandar Seri Begawan of Brunei Darussalam.
 |
| The royal wedding was held solemnly at the Istana Nurul Iman Palace. (Source: Getty Images) |
The wedding is one of the most anticipated and carefully prepared events in the beautiful Muslim country on the island of Borneo. This is also an event that leaves a deep impression on the attendees in terms of scale, organization as well as the crystallization of Bruneian cultural values.
The Royal Wedding was solemnly held with the participation of about 5,000 guests, including senior leaders and royal family members of several Southeast Asian, South Asian and Middle Eastern countries, especially the King of Malaysia, King of Bhutan, President of Indonesia, President of the Philippines, Prime Minister of Singapore... The main activities took place at Istana Nurul Iman Palace and Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, one of the most beautiful mosques in Asia and a top tourist destination in Brunei.
The diplomatic delegation was invited to attend many activities within the framework of the Royal Wedding and deeply felt the cultural values of the Islamic nation of Brunei, including traditional Islamic beliefs and similarities with the cultures of Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnamese culture.
In Vietnamese and Bruneian culture, traditional weddings are one of the most important cultural ceremonies, reflecting the importance of cultural values - family and the preservation of traditional culture in the two countries. Traditional weddings in Brunei usually have the following main activities: merisik (proposal), bertunang (engagement), menghantar berian (exchanging wedding gifts), malam berjaga-jaga (beginning of the rituals), berbadak-badak mandi (plastering), majlis berpacar (gathering of family and relatives), nikah (before the wedding ceremony), mandi belangir (scattering flowers), bersanding (wedding ceremony and reception), berambil-ambilan (wedding closing party) and balik tiga hari (reappearance).
 |
| Brunei Royal Family members at Prince Mateen's wedding. (Photo: TGCC) |
The royal wedding ceremonies are basically guided by the Quran and Bruneian customs, but the berbadak-badak mandi (powdering ceremony) seems to be influenced by Hinduism. The celebrant uses a finger to mix colored powders, including yellow, white, blue, pink, orange, green and purple (symbolizing the world of humans and all living things, made up of seven layers of earth and seven layers of heaven) to create a colored paste to paint the bride and groom as a wish for a happy and lucky marriage.
Bersanding (wedding ceremony) is the most important ceremony, solemnly held at the Royal Palace with the presence of His Majesty the Sultan, members of the Brunei Royal Family, the Brunei Government and international guests and friends along with a 17-gun salute. At the event, His Majesty Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, the Supreme Ruler of Brunei and head of the Royal Family, was the first to bless Prince Mateen and Princess Anisha.
 |
| The motorcade carrying Prince Mateen and Princess Ashina paraded through the streets. (Source: Instagram) |
The procession of Prince Mateen and Princess Anisha lasted nearly two hours right after the wedding ceremony, attracting great attention from Brunei people, tourists and regional and international press.
Major hotels in Brunei were fully booked during the event. Many people woke up very early to get a good spot to watch the procession. Some Ambassadors to Brunei said that their children who had signed up to volunteer for the event were at the parade site from 5am, excited to contribute to the organization of the Brunei Royal Wedding.
 |
| Madam Le Thi Hong Ngoan (far left) with Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Queen Jetsun Pema at the event. (Photo: TGCC) |
At the event, we had the opportunity to meet many guests from many countries, and were especially fortunate and grateful to witness the good feelings of high-ranking leaders of many countries towards Vietnam, including King Abdullah of Malaysia, King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan, and many representatives of the Government and Royal Family of Brunei and other countries.
For the Royal Family and Government of Brunei, the Royal Wedding is a highlight of a successful start to the new year 2024 with many important events, including the 40th anniversary of Brunei's official declaration as an independent nation within the Commonwealth of Nations and the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Brunei and many partner countries.
For us, the Vietnamese people attending the event, besides the impression of the scale, thoughtful and respectful organization, there were also deep impressions of the importance of preserving traditional cultural and family values in Brunei society on the path of modernization.
This is one of the factors that create Brunei's cultural identity, and is also a similarity between Brunei and Vietnamese culture, contributing to facilitating exchange activities between the Governments and people of the two countries in the coming time.
(*) Wife of the Vietnamese Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam
Source
Comment (0)