SINGAPORE – With about 12 years of experience in providing services for Malay weddings, freelance stylist Jabir Amin has noticed a shift in how closely nuptial traditions are observed, especially among younger couples.
He noted that many younger couples now display only one floral arrangement at their weddings, instead of two, and some are unaware of the distinction between the sirih junjung and sirih dara floral arrangements.
The two arrangements are traditionally exchanged between the couple’s families and displayed on the wedding dais, he said.
Mr Jabir, who also designs wedding floral arrangements, said the sirih junjung, given by the groom’s family to the bride’s, symbolises a husband’s responsibility in marriage and is the larger and heavier of the two arrangements. The smaller sirih dara represents the bride’s chastity, he said, and is gifted to the groom’s family by the bride’s.
Reintroducing the meaning and symbolism of such customs to younger audiences is something that the 31-year-old stylist hopes to do at ArCH Square,
a new archaeology and intangible cultural heritage centre that
opens to the public on Nov 1.
It is managed by HeritageSG, a
subsidiary of the National Heritage Board,
which envisions that the centre will be a home for intangible cultural heritage practitioners to display and teach their craft, and for visitors to learn about archaeology in Singapore.
Intangible cultural heritage refers to traditions or living expressions that are passed down through generations, such as the performing arts, social practices, rituals and festive events.
