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| Aceh Couple Finally Holds Wedding |
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| SuperHiMY |
| 01/30/05 at 14:50:25 |
| Aceh Couple Finally Holds Wedding 31/01/2005 Tomi Soetjipto In the first festivities in ravaged Banda Aceh since the December 26 tsunami, an Acehnese couple has thrown a marriage reception, finally celebrating a wedding that had been interrupted by the killer waves. Although subdued by local standards, the reception attracted some 500 people - a sign that some normalcy was coming back to the provincial capital, where hundreds of dead bodies are thought to lie under the debris. Sukmadi, 35, and Lidya Nurhayati, 25, were supposed to exchange wedding vows at the city's grand mosque on December 26 when the quake and tsunami shattered this bustling coastal city and left nearly 300,000 dead or missing across the Indian Ocean region. They were making their separate ways to the grand mosque, a favourite spot for weddings and other celebrations, when the tsunami struck. "I was already in my car on the way to the grand mosque. Then ... people were screaming 'water's coming, water's coming.' I didn't believe it at first but then we turned back our car," Nurhayati, dressed in an elaborate yellow blouse, said at the colourful altar where the bridal couple sat. Sukmadi was in another part of the city, already in his wedding outfit, and felt the huge quake at his home before setting out for the mosque. Locals warned him not to go because of the coming waves. The bride and groom took refuge separately with their families and finally learned the whereabouts of each other hours after the disaster. They were reunited days later. Their houses were spared but they lost dozens of relatives. After a month, the couple finally decided that it was time to move on. They exchanged wedding vows on January 27. Glittering But Modest On Sunday, about 500 people turned up for the reception at the groom's house, which was plastered with ornamental fabrics. An assortment of dishes from red-hot beef curry to traditional sweets were presented. Noticeably absent was fish curry, normally a must-have for local celebrations. "People don't want to eat fish any more because of the tsunami," said Cut Nurhayati, 36, the groom's sister-in-law, adding many locals still believe the fish in the ocean and local rivers fed on corpses. With a tiara on her head, Nurhayati arrived in a 1982 Toyota plastered with colourful paper. "Because of the tsunami, we need to make an adjustment, so we can't be too happy or too outrageous. We are making this reception a humble one," said Sukmadi, his face plastered in sweat from the sweltering heat. Although there was no blaring music or traditional dances, the mood was festive with screaming children running around the house and adults enjoying the food and lively conversation. Many of the guests agreed the time had come to end the mourning period in Aceh, where more than 220,000 people are dead or missing. "Many people are gone because of the quake and the tsunami. This wedding needed to go on so they (the couple) can continue our generation,' said the groom's brother, Safludin. update: Pics: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?g=events/ts/122604indonesiaquake&a=&tmpl=sl&ns=&l=1&e=82&a=0&t=&prev=81 Sometimes the above weblink takes you to a photo or two either ahead or behind the Wedding pic, so you may hafta do a few click throughs.... |
| 02/01/05 at 02:57:14 |
| SuperHiMY |
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