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Jokowi closes 2022 with a big Javanese wedding
With 6,000 invited guests, including VIPs and foreign dignitaries, the nuptials of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s second son, Kaesang Pangarep, to Erina Gudono held over the weekend in Surakarta, Central Java, and neighboring Yogyakarta have all the hallmarks of wedding of the year.
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President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s second son Kaesang Pangarep and his bride Erina Gudono welcome local people during a kirab (parade-like traditional procession) to the Mangkunegaran Palace where their wedding reception took place, on Sunday in Surakarta, Central Java. (Antara/Maulana Surya)
W
ith 6,000 invitations delivered, including to VIPs and foreign dignitaries, the nuptials of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s second son, Kaesang Pangarep, to Erina Gudono held over the weekend in Surakarta, Central Java, and neighboring Yogyakarta have all the hallmarks of the wedding of the year.
The 27-year-old businessman tied the knot with Erina, 26, an education advocate for marginalized communities and a former beauty queen, on Saturday in a Muslim wedding ceremony at Yogyakarta's Pendopo Agung Royal Ambarrukmo, a cultural heritage site and part of the Kedaton Ambarrukmo complex.
Public Works and Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono served as a witness for the groom, while State Secretary Pratikno performed the same role for the bride. The newlyweds were then treated to a series of marital advice from Vice President Ma’ruf Amin. “Align your intentions, make it so your marriage is seen as an act of service to Allah [God]," said the senior Muslim cleric.
Speaking to the media after the ceremony, Jokowi wished the newlyweds a happily ever after, jokingly remarking that he hoped the wedding might encourage his son to be more serious. “Kaesang tends to be carefree and now that he has a wife, I advise him to be just a bit more serious," said the President.
While the wedding ceremony itself saw only 150 invitations delivered, the event received extensive media coverage, with the whole nation welcomed to partake in the celebrations. Sunday’s reception was a comparatively much larger affair, with some 6,000 invitations sent to attend the festivities in Surakarta.
Among the invited guests were several foreign dignitaries, including United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, popularly known as MBZ.
The relationship between Jokowi and MBZ has blossomed in recent years, with the two jointly inaugurating the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Surakarta in November, a miniaturized replica of a mosque of the same name in Abu Dhabi as a gift from the oil-rich nation.
