In Today's programme, we will be presenting to you an interesting traditional wedding ceremony of the Kayin race.
Some of the Kayin people traditionally worship a spirit called the Du-Wai. Becore a wedding, a bridegroom and bride of the Poe Kayin race have to pay respects to the Du-Wai spirit.
In this respect-paying ceremony of the spirit, the bridegroom takes along two coconut fruits and the bride brings along a betel box that contains betel leaves, areca nuts, tobacco leaves, lime, Eugenia sprigs and candles, which are wrapped with a white cloth when they go to pay respect to the Du-Wai spirit.
The bridegroom wears the traditional red Kayin smock-like garment, and the bride wears the traditional white Kayin smock-like garment.
The couple to be wedded, together with their bestman, bridesmaids, relatives and friends merrily go to the Du-Wai spirit's shrine from the bride's house to pay respect.
When they arrive at the Du-Wai shrine, they are greeted by a person who is trustee of the shrine and he prays for the couple. The couple donates as much cash as they can afford to the trustee of the shrine. After that, they sign their wedding certificates.
Before paying respect to the Du-Wai shrine, the bridegroom peels the better of the two coconuts that he had brought along with him. A hole is made at the top of the coconut and a candle is lighted in the hole on the top of the coconut.

And then, the couple to be wedded raises the candle lit coconut as an offering to the shrine, while the trustee of the shrine prays for their future happiness.

Next, they prepare the tray of offertory with the offertories that the bride had brought along with her in the betel box.

After the offertory is prepared, the wedded couple raises the offertory as an offering to the spirit.

At the same time, the trustee of the shrine prays for the couple to have a happy wedded life and be united till their death.

The bridegroom and the bride pay homage to the shrine, three times.

After holding the above mentioned matrimonial ceremony, the wedded couple return back to the bride's home.

On their return home journey, their relatives and friends waylay the wedded couple at the entrance of the compound of their house, and some at the steps leading to the house, using their necklaces to block the couple's way to ask for tribute money as it is the joyful custom for the wedded couple to pay tribute money to their intimate friends.

At the same time, those present scatter rice and sprinkle scented water with Eugenia sprigs on the couple.

Then, the ceremony to summon the spirit, also known as, the ceremony to tie the hand with a string, is performed in Poe Kayin race weddings.

For this ceremony, seven rice-balls flowers, a glass of water, white threads and one flat wooden ladle are needed. We put these things in a tray and let the wedded couple sit together in front of this tray.

A little amount of rice and the various items from the tray are put into the cupped-hands of the couple.

The elderly persons bless the wedded couple and pray for their happiness, so that they will be united till death, to have many friends, to be blessed with children and to have prosperity. And then, they tie the wrists of the couple with the white thread and summon the spirit.

After the sprit is summoned, the couple eats a little amount of rice from the rice-ball in the tray as a token, and drink the water.

Later on, the wedded couple eats together with their best men and the bridesmaids.

After finishing all the arrangements, the bridegroom and the bride pay respect to their bed which they will be using as a married couple, and the wedding ceremony comes to as end.

We present this programme to let people to know about the interesting traditional wedded ceremony of Poe Kayin race.