Going to a Lotud Wedding - by Brenda Morgan

How fortunate I was to be here in Sabah for a real Lotud wedding! The nephew of the Manager of the Linangkit Cultural Centre (see the blog below Preserving traditions - a family venture) was getting married and I was invited through my connection with Ron and Jude. I had chosen to do the Food Tour with Adventure Study Tours and was lucky enough to be included in the wedding as well.

When we arrived at the Cultural Centre, we were warmly welcomed and taken straight into the area where the bride and groom were sitting on a dais. We were asked to sit on the floor - Ron went onto the stage with guests and local dignitaries and my friend and I sat down with the women in their beautiful traditional costumes. We were immediately surrounded by plates of traditional food which we ate with our fingers.

Meanwhile, the bride and groom were having photos taken with different groups of wedding guests. We were introduced and they asked us to have a photo taken with them as well.

My overwhelming impression was of the hospitality of these people who were going to entertain and feed over 800 guests during the course of a long day! Everyone wanted to know our names and where we were from and there was always someone with us to make sure we had something to eat and to fill our bowls with local brew. This is called 'bahar' and is a type of toddy or palm wine, made from coconut sap, fermented with special bark. We drank it from bowls, rather than glasses, and it was rather bitter with a strong alcohol taste. (The photo of Brenda drinking 'bahar' was taken by Consuelo Cardenas M. The others were taken by Brenda.)

The afternoon included a mixture of traditional and western-type entertainment. Firstly, there were young girls showing off their traditional dance skills to the accompaniment of gongs and drums and then the guests had a lot of fun with karaoke and line dancing. And everybody was involved: the bride and groom, the managers of the cultural centre, young and old - and even us!

The bride and grooom changed into western clothes during the course of the afternoon and then the dancing and karaoke carried on!

The food, the drink and the hospitality continued into the evening in the wonderful setting of the village.

As I think back to this day, my memory is of wonderfully hospitable people who seem to know so well how to have fun in a relaxed and comfortable way - in a really beautiful environment.

Brenda Morgan, Calgary, Canada

If you have any comments or questions about Sabah, please write to us at: ron@astsabah.com and jude@astsabah.com. We'd love to hear from you.