The Marriage 

Mixed Indian and Naga customs.

The 1^st century ad

 After 7 days;

Prince Kumeru and Nagi Princess’s wedding ceremony process following 7 steps in 3 days.

            1. Hai Kon KomLos – The Groom’s processional (Parade) to begin with the groom and his family travelling to meet the bride’s family in her house. Some of Prince’s men and some of the local women are handed matching gold trays of fruits and gifts such as woman clothes, Sbai (Sari), Golden crowns and jewelry in diamond, gold and pearl. That’s how people of Kok Tlok got clothes from Indian to cover their upper bodies. As they arrive, they can join the procession, symbolic of his journey and wedding rings and crowns will be exchanged. Prince’s teacher, the Brahman priest and his wife are represented as Prince’s parents.

            2. Sein Don Ta, Honoring the ancestors. Praying for their both ancestors. That’s the way for them to honor their ancestors who passed away before them and to invite their spirits to join their wedding celebration and it’s a time to remember those near and dear to their hearts.

3.Soat Mon – The Brahman priest teacher bless the groom and the bride with a special blessing according to the Hindu customs such as dropping flower water while chanting their blessings. As to the Kok Tlok customs, they took food and water to Neat Ta shrines asking for Prince and princess’s blessing.

   4. Baing Chhat - The royal golden umbrellas. The groom and the bride hold umbrella over each other parents to honor and thank their parents for taking care of them. Without them they would have never entered in this world.  A golden umbrella is held over the mother to symbolize a reversal in roles of the protective of parents.

 5. Cut Sak, A cleansing ceremony symbolizes a fresh start. It also implies a symbolic haircut even if this step employed real hair cut traditionally. To prepare the bride and the groom for their life as a married couple. Their hair is symbolically cut, representing a fresh start to their new relationship together as husband and wife. Two performers, representing deities will be singing and dancing around the couple. The officiant performs the first symbolic haircut and wished the couple happiness, prosperity and longevity. The bride and the groom’s parents and the relatives then take turns to symbolically cut the bride and the groom’s hair and give them blessings and well wishes.

6. Sompeas Ptem – Tying the Wrist. This is a special ceremony that symbolizes the new couple’s binding together which is known as knot tying. During this ceremony, the bride and the groom will sit holdings a gold sword in between their clasped hands. Holding a golden sword together is a symbolic of Prince Kumera to be a protector of his wife Princess Nagi. The parents of both sides and the officiants, family members and friends will tie the bride and the groom’s left and right wrist with red blessing strings, as they wish the new couple health, happiness and prosperity. The red strings are symbolic of two people coming together and their everlasting love. The ceremony concluded with a shower of palm flower (Pka Sla) thrown over the new couple. At the end of the knot tying ceremony, the couple will walk clockwise. The groom brandishes his sword in his left hand in protection of his new wife and his both hands hold her long Sbai (Woman long scarf), Part of the bride’s dress which Prince Kumera had it made in Indian Style for his wife princess Nagi to cover her upper body and long Sbai is also represented the tail of Naga.   

 7. Bongvel Popel – 7 Rotations. The passing of Blessings. The groom and the bride are blessed by the married couples that are present at the ceremony. The bride and the groom will sit in the middle of a circle surrounding by married couple. Three lit sacred candles are passed clockwise around the circle, as the smoked of the sacred flame is rotated seven times around the new couple to protect them from all evils. Family members who receive the sacred candle move their hands over the flame to guide the smoke of the sacred flame over the bride and the groom. The smoke of the sacred flame will protect them from all evils. This represents the passing of blessings to the newlyweds.

Dance, lots of foods and music being accompanied this wedding ceremony from the beginning to the end. The married couple are supposed to live with the parents of the wife where the son in law should help and assist his wife’s parents, but this married couple had a permission to live at Princess Nagi’s bases.

The marriage of Prince Kumeru and Princess Nagi became a Khmer legend and continuing since then till present day in Cambodia. In Longvek era, around 1500, King Preah Chey Chesda Thebdey ordered his minister Oknha Nov to write a book making a rule of the Cambodia’s wedding “Khmer wedding Rules” and ordered a song to be performed describing God Vesandor Borom Pothisat arranging the marriage between his children – Chealy and Kroesna and some other songs are about the marriage arrangement of God Rama and Goddess Sita. Oknha Nov wrote that the current wedding preparations are arranged according to the rulers drawn by king Preah Chey Chesda Thebdey.