Traditional Thai Buddhist Weddings

Destination weddings are a very exciting way to get married, and Thailand is one of the most popular wedding and honeymoon destinations in the world. With its lush topography, gorgeous beaches, and awe-inspiring mountain ranges, adventurous couples can appreciate nature and appreciate the rich, colorful culture of the Thais as they celebrate the beginning of a life together.

But did you know that you can also experience a traditional Thai Buddhist wedding even if you are a foreigner who does not practice the religion?

Because Buddhism is more like a philosophy than a religion, Buddhist monks can perform wedding ceremonies on couples who do not know much about the faith. The rituals of the wedding ceremony vary depending on the region, but Northern Thailand’s lanna weddings are said to be the best and the most romantic. The lanna wedding is also known as the “kgin khaek”, which literally translates to “eat” and “guests”. What this means is that Thai people treat important events like weddings as a social occasion, and celebrate the moment with lots of food, music, dance, and laughter.

The colorful Thai Buddhist wedding begins with the couple giving an offering to the monks before dawn. The offerings are made up of food, flowers, and 3 incense sticks – one for the Buddha, one for Buddha’s words, and one for Buddha’s monks. Once their offerings have been received, the couple then proceeds to the wat or the temple where they receive a blessing from the head monk.

The atmosphere in the temple is quiet and awe-inspiring. The couple kneels in front of the head monk as he chants prayers and blesses them with holy water. Then he ties each of the couple’s wrists with a string – a preview for the most significant part of the wedding, which will take place later on. The blessing at the wat takes about half an hour and is a unique spiritual experience that is difficult to translate into words.

Before the couple leaves the wat, they release birds from a cage or place fish or turtles into the water as a merit-gift. Thai Buddhists believe that returning caged animals back to nature will ensure a lifetime of happiness and good luck to the newlyweds.

The couple proceeds to a village in Chiangmai for the most important part of the ceremony. The pook mue is the wedding ritual itself, held at a traditional northern Thai village house and officiated by a village elder. Unlike in Western weddings, it is the groom and not the bride who “walks down the aisle” to the village house! Before he can reach the bride, he has to go through three symbolic gates and prove his worth to the “gatekeepers”. Once they allow him to pass, the ceremony can begin.

The couple kneels in front of the village elder, who prepares the pook mue – a group of three to nine cords. Older guests tie each of the couple’s wrists with the pook mue to symbolize the couple’s marriage bond, while other guests congratulate them on their union and wish them good health, prosperity, and happiness. At this point, the couple may exchange rings or wedding vows in front of the guests and the community.

The lanna wedding ceremony ends with the most exciting part – the feast! Not only is there plenty of native delicacies and dishes, but guests can also be entertained with traditional Thai dancers and musicians.

It is difficult to condense the Thai wedding ceremony into just a few words – you need to experience it yourself to understand what a spiritual and joyous occasion it can be. And with a professional Thai wedding coordinator taking care of all the details, you don’t even have to worry about planning the wedding yourself. For a beautiful, exotic, and stress-free ceremony, hold your wedding in Thailand today.

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