[freeringtonesioo]

Recently my girlfriend and I went to visit her family in Roi-et, Issan. Everybody assumed (rightly, I hope), that we are to be married sometime in the (hopefully not too distant) future.
When we were about to leave, my girlfriend's grandmother called us over and we knelt before her. While she recited what I was later told were buddhist incantations, she took a simple piece of 3 ply string, rubbed it up my wrist four of five times and then tied it to my wrist. She then proceeded to do the same to my girlfriend. I was deeply touched by this jesture and hold this bracelet very dear to me, especially now that I am back in Japan and will not see my girlfriend for 3 months .
Apparently this practice is from this particular region only and I was wondering if anybody had any experience with other such pre wedding/wedding customs.

[qQVXpYM6]

It sounds like the ceremony of sai sin. This is done around the country by monks and older people. They tie a blessed string around your wrist and say a small prayer asking for the protection of the Triple Gem. You should keep it on until it drops off. It is not really just related to wedings.