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ultural observers and activists in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, have called on the local youth to study and revive the Timor Amarasi traditional wedding ceremony to ensure the preservation of the centuries-old tradition amid competition from Western culture.

Speaking to The Jakarta Post recently, NTT cultural observer Rev. Hengky Abineno said more Kupang youth now preferred a modern European-style wedding party, bringing the Timor Amarasi traditional wedding ceremony to the brink of extinction.

While the Timor Amarasi ceremony has not entirely disappeared, Hengky said that it was only maintained in a handful of regions.

'€œIn big cities like Kupang, it is now very difficult to find a Timor Amarasi wedding ceremony. I am very worried that this tradition will fade away 10 or 20 years from now,'€ he said.

Amarasi is the name of a former kingdom in the southwest of Timor. In 1962, after some 300 years of existence, the traditional form of governance in the region was abolished by the Indonesian government, which later brought Amarasi under the administration of Kupang regency.

Today, it is estimated that at least 2,000 Timor Amarasi people and their families live in four districts in Kupang regency '€” Amarasi, West Amarasi, South Amarasi and East Amarasi, as well as in Kupang municipality, the provincial capital of NTT.

The Timor Amarasi wedding ritual, according to Hengky, employs a series of procedures, including family visits, a proposal ceremony and a wedding party.

During the proposal ceremony, the family of the groom must arrive on time at the house of the would-be bride, bringing with them between five and seven dowry packages.

'€œThe value of the dowry packages is determined jointly by the would-be groom and bride. The would-be groom is also allowed to offer livestock, such as bulls or male pigs,'€ he said.

Meanwhile, on the wedding day, the couple wears a traditional Timor Amarasi costume, the bride in kebaya bodo cloth with traditional woven sarong and a set of jewelry put from head to toe.

The groom, meanwhile, wears a traditional woven fabric, golden belt and scarves around his waist and shoulders.

With the declining popularity of the Timor Amarasi wedding ceremony, local youth, according to Hengky, are losing the chance to learn about their culture and its local wisdom.

'€œToday, many young people cannot recognize different motifs of Timorese woven cloth, let alone know how to wear them properly,'€ he said.

Hengky acknowledged that many of the area'€™s young couples chose a European-style wedding in a hotel or restaurant over the traditional ceremony, as the former is considered '€œcheaper and more practical'€.

Kupang-based Artha Wacana Christian University lecturer Alexander Telnoni, however, decried the efficiency argument as '€œunacceptable'€. The abandonment of local traditions, including the Timor Amarasi wedding ceremony, he said, would separate the youth from their historical roots.

Alexander also urged local administrations to support ongoing efforts from indigenous community institutions and NGOs to promote the Timor Amarasi wedding ceremony and other traditional events in order to preserve local values and wisdom.

'€œWithout such values, people will lose guidance in their lives. Culture and tradition are the means that help people control their lives and live in a better way,'€ he said.