Name: Putri Nadya Azzahra

NPM: 1906287433

Weddings are very important occasions in my country. They are vital social events which
join two families together to celebrate the new marriage. In this essay, I will describe the law
concerning marriage where I live, outline the costums and traditions of a typical wedding and
show how weddings have changed in recent years.

In my country, marriage is legal from the age of 19. However, the average ages of people
who get married are about 22 for women and 25 for men. Under the Indonesian Marriage
Law, marriages may be performed by Ministers of Religion, officers of the Civil Registry
Office (Kantor Catatan Sipil) or the Office of Religious Affairs (Kantor Urusan Agama). For
a marriage to be legal, it must be conducted according to the religion and conform to the laws
of the countries of the parties involved. People who want to get married must complete
documents such as marriage certificate, bride consent, parents’ certificate, and others. All
couples must sign a marriage certificate and have a marriage book. These are the legal
documents which prove they are married. Like marriages in other countries, people in my
country can get married at a registry office, or they may hold a religious ceremony in
mosques, churches, or other places of worship.

Generally, a proposal in my country is when the man formally asks the woman to marry him
by giving her something, either rings or things which hold the same meaning. After that, the
couple will ask for permission to both of their families. If their families approve the proposal,
the wedding can be held. Weddings commonly take place at the bride’s house or a local
mosque with about a hundred guests. It is very common that everyone wants to help the
couple celebrate their occasion. Every relatives, acquaintances, colleagues, or even business
partners could be invited to the wedding. The cost of middle-class weddings, including
venues, wedding officiants, food, clothes, decorations, et cetera, could sum up to 100–250
million Rupiahs. Marriage ceremonies in Indonesia usually start with the marriage settlement,
where the groom states that he accepts the marriage, followed by the wedding reception. The
reception then starts by doing the traditions of the groom and bride’s ethnicities. Cucuk
Lampah, for example, a Javanese tradition in which people dance while entering the venue
while the groom and bride walk behind them. After the bride and groom enter the venue and
stand at the altar, some family members will give their speeches and the guests alongside the
bride and groom will pray together. Guests are then allowed to say their greetings to the bride
and groom and eat the provided meal.

Compared to the marriages of the old times, a lot of things have changed. Marriages at very
young ages are not as common as the ones back then. Before the 1980s, people could get
married even when they’re 10. The norms started changing when the country’s economy
started growing and now a lot of people get married in their 30s after finishing their
educations and building their careers. Before the 21st century, 30 million Rupiahs are enough
to hold middle-class weddings with the same features and facilities. There are no big
differences regarding the proposals, but the proposals at the present state aren’t really that
tied to customs and are a lot laxer. Indonesians don’t really use last names and the ethnicities
that do have changed nothing and stuck to their traditions.