A Nostalgic Journey to Kedah

The ladies in the wedding delegation with the gift trays at the Iskandar Mosque 

The Jurunikah performing the akad nikah of Ahmad Shafie bin Othman in the Iskandar Mosque

   

Ahmad Shafie Othman handing his 'mas kahwin' to his bride, Nur Subhian Naini bt Adnan 

Group photo of the delegations of both the bride and bridegroom after the akad at the Iskandar mosque 

Photo with the newly weds

1. Introduction. It is December and school holidays.  Invitation cards for weddings started trickling in    as early as November.  For me it is an appropriate time to fulfil the many social obligations, not         only in attending the solemnization ('akad nikah') of marriages and the wedding receptions of close family members but also in visiting and paying respect to relatives. At the same time, doing a little sightseeing and shopping to replenish the kitchen supplies. This December the invitations from Kedah were received from my cousin, Hj Ismail Mohd Zain, living in Sungai Petani for the wedding of his son on December 19 and my brother, Adnan, in Taman Nuri, Alor Star on December 26 for a double wedding that of his son, Syafiq and daughter, Subhian.  I decided to miss the function in Sungai Petani and made the necessary arrangement to drive up to Alor  Star . Accompanied by my wife, daughter and son-in-law, we departed from Bandar Baru Bangi at 08.15 hrs on Christmas Day, December 25, in my Honda CRV with me at the wheel.  We were in Alor Star around five hours later,  and checked in at the Holiday Villa.

  2. Wedding Ceremonies.  The wedding ceremony at Adnan's house started with the 'akad nikah' of Ahmad Shafie Othman at the nearby Iskandar mosque at Taman Nuri a day earlier i.e afternoon of December 25.  Our delegation was at the mosque around 3.30 pm with the 'hantaran' (gift trays).  I noticed that there was another group, which on inquiry with the mosque official, indicated that another bridegroom was also undergoing the 'akad nikah' ceremony.  The official informed that it was going to be a double 'akad'.  After the ceremony the bridegroom's delegation was received at a simple high-tea reception at Adnan's house. The formal reception for the double wedding of Adnan's daughter, Nor Subhian Naini with Ahmad Shafie Othman and son, Mohd Shafiq with Arina Syairah Muhammad Fauzi was held on 26 December scheduled from 12.00 noon to 4.30 pm.  I was there at around 12.00 noon.  I was happy to see all my four brothers and members of their families were there.  I was glad to meet the cousins and nephews and nieces (see pics).

    

Group photo with my brothers and other relatives (Adnan is fifth from right in the photo)

Photo of the five surviving Abdul Wahab siblings.  Three have left us (AlFatihah). From right 

 Hassan Basri, Hashim, Adzmi, Adnan and Ahmad Shadzli and Abd Ghani Abd Aziz (cousin) 

At the wedding reception

  3.  Trip to Yan.  The continued interest in this rural town is because of my long association with it during my school days. I used to spend my short school holidays with my Pak Jang Ahmad and Mak Jang Dah who lived there, taking a bus from Alor Star to Guar Cempedak and then transfer to another to take me to Yan Besar.  The back home trip to Langkawi by boat then was too expensive and time consuming. I decided to drive to Yan, on this trip, on the morning of December 26, as my brother-in-law who lives in Kulim, was there, attending the wedding reception of his son-in-law's brother's daughter.  I took the coastal road driving from Kuala Kedah passing through Sungai Limau to Yan Kechik and then Yan.  Sungai Limau is the birth place of Kamariah when her father then working as a teacher was posted at the primary school in this remote village.  At the same time this route was the one I took when, as a scout, going for the venturer's badge, I walked from Yan back to Alor Star, a distance of around 50 km with three scouting friends.  It was a narrow lateritic path by the side of an irrigation canal.  We broke journey at the Sungai Limau primary school before successfully completing the journey.  It was a sunny day and I was enjoying looking at the paddy-fields on both sides of the road.  The paddy appeared to be about to flower.  From a distance I could also see the in the horizon, Gunung Jerai, which is the highest peak in Kedah.  I recollected too that during schooldays, I have successfully climbed this mountain, taking the Kampong Aceh starting point. We spent around two hours in Yan. Members of the family were busy preparing for the wedding reception.  We hurried back to Alor Star as we had to do a little shopping before the wedding reception and departing for home.
              

Gunung Jerai in the horizon

Paddy fields on both sides of the road from Kuala Kedah to Yan

    

4. Shopping in Alor Star.  Whenever we return to Alor Star, it is a must to visit Pekan Rabu to replenish our kitchen supplies such as 'belacan' (shrimp paste), 'ikan bilis' (anchovies) and 'asam jawa'.  The shopping complex of Pekan Rabu is being reconstructed and the stalls have been temporarily moved to another site not far from the Hotel we stayed.  Traffic was bad on that day and it was not possible to find a parking space around the stalls, as the City, I was informed, was hosting a few events that had attracted many visitors.  We had to forego the shopping and head for the reception at Adnan's house in Taman Nuri. We spent around two-and half hours at the wedding and at about 3.00 pm depart for Kuala Lumpur.

Posted on January 23, 2016