Name : Saskia Putri Nabilla

NIM : 2010742013
Class : A
Minangkabau Regional Literature Department
faculty of Humanities
Andalas University
The Tradition of Baralek Gadang (Big Party) in Minangkabau

Marriage in the Minangkabau community is one of the most important and sacred events. Marriage in
the life cycle of the Minangkabau community is a transitional period with the aim of forming a
new family. For a Minang man, marriage is a process to enter a new environment, namely, into
his wife’s family. Meanwhile, marriage for Minangkabau woman is a process of adding new
members to the rumah gadang. The marriage procession in the Minangkabau indigenous people is
called Baralek Gadang (big party). Marriage according to customary law is a matter of relatives, family
affairs, community affairs, personal affairs with each other in very different relationships. So marriage
according to customary law is a shared responsibility of customary law communities. In customary law,
marriage is not only a matter of the individuals who carry out the marriage, but also includes the problems
of the families concerned, ranging from finding a partner, engagement, even to the consequences of the
marriage.

In a society that adheres to a matrilineal system such as in Minangkabau, the problem of marriage is a
problem that is borne by the mamak (uncle). A mamak (mother's uncle) plays a very big role in his niece
who is about to get married.
In terms of the age limit for getting married, customary law generally does not regulate the age limit for
getting married, where customary law allows marriage at any age. One's maturity inside customary law is
measured by the markings of body parts. If a girl is menstruating, her breasts are protruding, it means she
is an adult. For boys, the size of maturity is only seen from changes in voice, body parts and has issued
semen or already has a sexual desire. So, maturity according to customary law is not seen from the age of
a child, but is measured by the physical changes of a child only. If there are physical changes according to
what is characterized above, then a child under customary law is considered an adult. A person who is
considered an adult in customary law may marry, regardless of the age limit of the party to be married.
Good age of the bride and groom - groom and bride-to-be.

It consists of several stages that are commonly carried out, starting from the procession of
maminang(propose), manjapuik marapulai (picking up the bride), to basandiang (sit side by side
at the aisle). After maminang and an agreement to determine the wedding day is obtained, the
next procession in marriage is the implementation of traditional ceremonies and in accordance
with the provisions of the Islamic teachings . Baralek gadang (big party) in Minangkabau people
generally lasts for two to three days based on customary agreements and provisions that must be
carried out in order for the marriage to be considered valid.

The Minangkabau community truly value and uphold the customs and norms wherever they are.
This is none other than because the meaning of a marriage bond in Minangkabau is so
important that marriage becomes something that should be celebrated lively through traditional and
religious ceremonies. According to the proverbial Minang, Adat Basandi Syarak, Syarak Basandi
Kitabullah. The point is that the custom is based on Islamic religious law. The importance of
marriage in Minangkabau customs indicates that the Minangkabau traditional Baralek Gadang (big
party) wedding procession has the meaning of merging and unifying two large groups (two families),
which are different with their respective greatness, honor, dignity, and wealth. Based on that
explanation, it is clear that the Baralek Gadang wedding in the Minangkabau tradition is not only a
marriage carried out by the bride and groom, but it also involves two families who will unite
into a large family of both parties of the bride and groom.

In the Baralek Gadang tradition (big party) there is what is called the Basandiang procession (sitting side
by side on the aisle). Before that, there was a procession called manjampuik marapulai (picking up the
groom) by anak daro (bride). The pick-up process was also accompanied by traditional music used to
enliven the wedding party. In the Basandiang procession, the bride and groom will sit all day while
shaking hands with the invited guests. At the wedding, the bride and groom wear traditional Minangkabau
wedding clothes. The clothes are dominantly red so that it gives a very festive impression. The bride in
this party wears a suntiang (golden headdress) while the groom uses a deta (a cloth covering the male
head).

Baralek Gadang (big party) is also filled with accompaniment music which was previously accompanied
by rabab music, talempong, gandang and so on. However, nowadays weddings in Minangkabau have
grown even more lively because the accompanying music is more modern. However, along with that
development, the aesthetic values of a culture fade and slowly disappear. In addition, Baralek Gadang is
also synonymous with a large meal where all invited guests will be served with various types of food that
can be eaten according to the desired taste. Usually, after the invited guests have finished eating, they will
walk to the aisle to shake hands with the bride and groom as a form of congratulations on their marriage.
During this baralek procession, the bride and groom are also asked to sit side by side on the aisle with a
smiling face all day long. This is because they are happy with their sacred event which also brings
happiness to others.

Inside this baralek, it is also filled with a happy atmosphere which is in stark contrast to the cultural
meanings. As for each process of course has its own rules in it. For that, let's together maintain the
cultural values in it so that we always know what culture we have. Not only that, we are also asked to
continue to use our own culture so that it is not stolen by other nations because culture is the identity of
the nation. As a young generation, it is appropriate to be proud of their own culture so that it will continue
to be maintained for generations to come.