Interpretation of Proverbs as Moral Messages and Character-Building Motivation: Batak Toba Marriage Customs in Indonesia

In Batak Toba culture, proverbs are widely used in every ceremony. In Batak culture, there are many events, such as birth, baptism, entering a new house, weddings and funerals, which are commonly marked with traditional ceremonies. The use of proverbs in Batak ceremonies not only functions as the transmission of culture but the proverbs also have a meaning and a positive message, the purpose of which is to motivate. Proverbs in Batak Toba ceremonies are like prayers and positive wishes. To understand the meaning and interpretation of a sentence, accurate language analysis is needed, without separating the understanding of the meaning and the interpretation. The knowledge of meaning and translation can be acquired by understanding the science of semantics. Semantics studies the meaning and interpretation literally and figuratively. At a Batak wedding, it is found that the interpretation of the proverbs used is appropriated to the studies of semantics and translation, the purpose of which is to 1. Affirm that the marriage cannot be separated by humans.2. That a marriage is recognised by many people so it is worthy to keep marriage integrity.3. To build a worthy family by praying and expecting to acquire a good family physically and spiritually. Thus explanation about Batak Toba Proverbs in this analysis. Semantics, Translation Theory, Interpretation, Batak Toba, Wedding Culture and Proverb Analyisis