The crocodile bread — photo is mine

The Crocodile Bread

August Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Food”

chel writes
2 min readAug 5, 2024

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Tradition preserved, joy shared at weddings.

Here’s a background about this photo: I got married about a week ago. Our wedding ceremony went beautifully, with everything falling into place perfectly. The venue, the guests, and every detail — from the decorations to the food — was exactly as we had envisioned. The ceremony was heartfelt and moving, making it a day we’ll cherish forever.

On our wedding day, we also have“seserahan”. It is a traditional practice in Indonesian culture, referring to the custom of giving gifts from the groom’s family to the bride’s family as part of the wedding ceremony. These gifts typically include items like food, clothing, and money. They symbolize respect, goodwill, and the groom’s commitment to the bride. The exchange of seserahan is a way to honor the bride’s family and solidify the union between the two families.

One of them is the crocodile bread, or “roti buaya.” It is a traditional cake often featured in Betawi wedding ceremonies. The name translates to “crocodile bread” in English, and the cake is shaped like a crocodile. It is made from sweet, soft dough and is typically decorated with intricate details. The crocodile shape symbolizes fertility and prosperity, and presenting this cake is meant to bring good fortune to the newlyweds and their future lives together.

I’m glad we have this tradition at our wedding ceremonies, preserving our unique culture. It’s also a pleasure to share a little about this tradition with all of you.

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chel writes

write articles and personal thoughts. publish drafts regularly. sometimes in english or indonesian :)