Achehnese Domestic Life encompassed the full range of family and personal customs of the Acehnese — from proposal and marriage through childhood, sickness, death, and the distribution of effects. These were documented by C. Snouck Hurgronje in Chapter III of The Achehnese (pp. 295–439).
Marriage
Proposal, betrothal, and the marriage contract (kawën) were governed by a combination of customary law and Islamic law. The husband gave the bride a wedding gift in money (varying from six to eight dollars multiplied by the number of bungkays of gold in his gift) and a complete suit of clothing known as seunalén (“change of garments”). This gift was reciprocated by the bride on the seventh day with a gift of equal value in money or clothing, also called seunalén.
The wedding feast (keurcuja) was not regarded as concluded until the morning meal on the seventh day. After these seven busy days came the eighth day of the wedding, a compulsory day of rest for the bridegroom, when he must not visit the bride (wöë). During the “cooling” (keurcuja) ceremony, branches of cooling plants were dipped in flour and water (teupöng taweuë) and the couple’s feet besprinkled.
Childhood
At the age of about six or seven, boys were brought by their father and girls by their mother to the school where they were taught to recite the Quran (cuntat beuët — “bringing to school”). Teachers of Quranic recitation were called ureuëng pumubeuët. Wednesday was generally chosen as the day for bringing children to school. The gift for the teacher on this occasion was a large dish of glutinous rice with grated coconut and red sugar on top.
The instruction formula from parent to teacher: “Aneë’ lön lön ja’ jö’ keu drö’eneu, neupubeuët, neupöh, mubë’ chapiëng deungön buta, la’én ba’ nyan hukôm drö’encu” (“I come to hand over my child to you. Teach it and spare not the rod; so you make it not lame or blind, let the rest be at your discretion.”).
Ear-Piercing
Girls underwent an ear-piercing ceremony performed by an expert woman who scattered brenh padé (husked and unhusked rice) over the child and besprinkled her with a broom formed of three “cooling” plants, dipped in flour and water. Finally both she and the other old women present rubbed yellow glutinous rice behind the ears (peasuntëng) of the young maiden.
Sickness and Death
The sicknesses chapter (§ 7, pp. 408–418) covered the indigenous understanding of illness origins and cures. The death customs (§ 8, pp. 418–434) covered the washing of the body, burial, and associated prayer obligations. The spot escorted by the gampong authorities (keuchi’ and teungku) with the two traditional drums (geundrang) and a flute (srunè), leading the van.
Distribution of Effects
The final section (§ 9, pp. 434–439) covered the distribution of the deceased’s effects — a matter governed partly by Islamic law (the Shafi’ite rules of inheritance) and partly by local customary law, with significant divergence between the two systems.
See Also
Source
The Achehnese, Vol. I, by Dr. C. Snouck Hurgronje, translated by A.W.S. O’Sullivan, indexed by R.J. Wilkinson. Leyden: E.J. Brill, 1906. Chapter III, §§ 1–9, pp. 295–439.