Ni Putu Melina from Bali married a traditional dagger called a "keris" in a symbolic ceremony while her groom was absent. A video of the "wedding" was posted on TikTok.
The tradition stems from a Hindu custom meant to dispel shame from the bride and her family, as the keris, which symbolises manhood, can serve as a stand-in for absent grooms in cases of death or other circumstances.
In fact, the groom of Putu Melina is alive, but pulled out two days before the wedding, despite the bride expecting a baby. His family refused to let him live with the bride and her family at their home, as had previously been agreed. The groom promised his soon-to-be-wife that he would run away from home, but Putu Melina and her family didn't want any more rash decisions.
The ceremony of marrying the keris went viral in Indonesia recently and the family of the bride didn't mind it, since they wanted the example to be a “warning for all young women, who are looking for a groom”.
The video got more than 50,000 views and over 2,000 comments from Indonesian netizens.