Lombok community (sasak tribe) has special customary ritual of marriage. There are several steps that must be passed by the bride and groom to be husband and wife. Young couples have a choice of three rituals: the first is an arranged marriage, the second a union between cousins and the third elopement. The fist two are simple and uncomplicated: the parent of the prospective bridal couple meets to discuss the bride’s dowry and sort out any religious differences. Having handled the business arrangement, the ceremony, sorong serah, is performed.

The third method is far more complicated and dramatic. Theoretically a young girl is forbidden to marry a man of lower caste, but this rule can be broken through kidnapping and eloping. As a result, eloping is still a widespread practice on lombok, despite the fact that in most instances the parents of the couple know what’s afoot. Originally it was used as a means of eluding other competitors for the girl’s hand or in order to avoid family friction, but it also minimized the heavy expenses of a wedding ceremony.

Wedding Gallery in Lombok

The rules of this ritual are laid down and must be followed step by step. After the girl is spirited away by the boy, he is required to report to the head of village where he has taken refuge. He receives 44 lashes for such a ‘disrespectful’ a action and has a piece of black cotton string wound around his right wrist to indicate to all that he has kidnapped his future bride. The head of village then notifies the girl’s family through the head of their village. A delegation from the boy’s family visits the girl’s parent, and between them they settle on price for the bride, which is distributed among members of the bride’s family in recompense for losing her.