Thoughts on an engagement ceremony

So, on Saturday our family went to our first ever, Cambodian-American Engagement Ceremony. It was interesting to see. We of course arrived a few minutes late, and joined in at the end of the procession. Everyone was walking into the house in groups of two, carrying a gift of food. The food was in pairs of two of everything: two plates of grapes, two baskets of fruit, two plates of 6-packs of Pepsi, two chickens, two pineapples, etc. We went into the house and were seated. The future groom's family on one side and the future bride's family on the other side. Then the future bride came out. She was dressed in her fancy clothes-silk skirt and white lacy top. We all clapped when she came out. The preacher spoke in both Cambodian and English. The ceremony is to bridge the two cultures. If you recall, in Cambodia the marriages are arranged. Here we get to date. So, this ceremony brings the families together. The future groom has given all the gifts of food to his future bride. Both sets of parents are asked if they give their consent for the engagement. Then the future bride and future groom both consent to being engaged. The future groom gives his future bride her ring. She then gives him a gold necklace to wear as a token of their engagement. I looked at it as a formal recognition of the couple being engaged. The ceremony takes places at the future bride's home. After that, we eat food. Which is really the best part. All the gifts that were given are used as part of the dinner for the family and friends who attended. Now on a side note, the missionaries from our ward were there cooking the egg rolls. The preacher belonged to the Church of the Nazerene. So this is truly a bridging of cultures. We have been to numerous family events and it is always amazing to me to learn more about the Cambodian culture and be one of a handful of white, English speaking people invited to attend.