Saturday, a coworker had his wedding. My first Laos wedding was quite the experience. Keeping with the theme lately, the weather was insanely hot, which led to wedding of minimal dancing, excessive sweating and ridiculous consumption of liquids of all kinds.
As you enter a Laos wedding, you are greeted by a couple girls holding a shot of whiskey. So every guest at the party drinks from the same little shot glass as they enter the party (a little unhygienic if you ask me). Then you drop your envelope into a great golden container (the envelope has your name printed on the front so they know exactly how much money you give them). You're then seated, handed a glass of beerlao and invited to enjoy the buffet of all the standard Laos grub.
Your second mandatory whiskey shot comes when the bride and groom walk around with the same shot glass (yet again) on a platter full of money. You place money on the platter and take the shot of whiskey while congratulating and greeting the bride and groom. Amazing what a drinking culture Laos is. All social events revolve around drinking and forcing your friends and family to drink as well.
After a couple more shots and maybe a beerlao or two, you find your way to the dance floor for some good old traditional Laos dancing. You must be asked by a man. You then stand in a line across from your partner, avoid making any kind of eye contact, casually step side to side while moving your hands up and down. It's pretty much mandatory, despite the heat and the strangeness of dancing with a straight face (smiling seems to be a no no).
Luckily, this Mung wedding was an afternoon ordeal and wrapped up after a couple hours (lots of Laos weddings go all night).
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| My coworker, Bounma. |
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| Some Laos women putting on a show in hopes of catching a man...single women are forced to participate (yuck). |
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