The ingredients of a betel chew are usually kept in a special box or bowl used exclusively for betel chewing. Tepak sirih reflects the life and value of the Malay community especially on traditional customs and codes of conduct. It is obvious that Tepak sirih plays an important role in the everyday life of the Malays. However, as time passes, the importance of Tepak sirih is now only confined to ceremonial and traditional events and activities. Only decorated and embroidered Tepak sirih are used in ceremonies such as visit and observe (adat merisik), proposal (adat meminang) and engagement (adat bertunang). This study identifies and examines the role of Tepak sirih as a nonverbal communication in the marriage customs of the Malay community. This study was conducted at Kampung Seri Kedah, Sungai Leman, Sekinchan Selangor. The finding has shown that Tepak sirih used in a Malay wedding is seen as a symbol of opening of a conversation, symbol of asking, symbol of accepting, symbol of rejecting, and symbol of unity. Tepak sirih is placed in front of other items used in a wedding. In a Malay wedding, only Tepak sirih bertekad which is made from wood and embroidered is used. The interior of the Tepak sirih holds small globular covered boxes (cembul), a little cylindrical container for sliced areca nut, lime, gambier and cloves. All the cembul then must be placed according to the Malay customs. Furthermore, the Malay community believe that something bad may occur if the customs are not followed. In addition, arranging cembul in tepak is seen as a sign to educate the Malay community about the importance of following rules. During engagement (adat bertunang) tepak sirih plays is seen as a symbol of acceptace to live together and also promises. Engagement is a tie of promise of a man and a woman before they get married (akad nikah).
