Our crystal anniversary.

Today, the 16th November is our Crystal Anniversary, the 15th years of marriage. This year is for the first time we celebrate the day. We never done it before. A month ago, our first daughter had a look to our wedding ceremony album and suddenly she said: Aji (father) and Ibu (mother), you should celebrate your wedding day. OK, we said. My husband told me to order a cake, but I thought it would be too ‘western style’, to make it Indonesian,  I suggested: I think I will order a Tumpeng Nasi Kuning (A cone shaped yellow rice dish). OK, my daughters said. As long as it is food. No problem. At all.

The philosophy of Tumpeng is related to the Indonesian geography with numerous mountains and volcanos. In the ancient Indonesian tradition, mountains were believed a holly place for the spirit of ancestors and gods. The cone-shaped rice symbolizes the holy mountain. The dish is made from turmeric coloured steamed rice that is surrounded with many kind of assorted Indonesian dishes, like fried chicken, perkedel kentang (potato cakes), sweet-spicy tempe, sayur urap (Indonesian vegetable salad), fried noodle, quail eggs, and more other delicious food like rendang. To make it even more beautiful, the dish was decorated with vegetables.

Fence is made from woven long beans, many flowers made from tomato, carrot, red chillies, and cucumbers. The dishes represents the numerous things our Mother Nature gives us with mountain as the centre from where the holly spirits and Gods gives us their blessing. Tumpeng is a symbol of gratitude as well as connection of Gods and human being. The tumpeng is put on tampah (woven bamboo container, covered with banana leaves). As you see, even the banana leave is shaped into artistic triangles.

15 years of marriage is still young. And we do hope, we will always stick together as family. Embrace the happy moments as well as endure the difficult times.

Late post to join DP Prompt: Together.