As society develops, many customs of ethnic groups are lost over time, but the rituals and ceremonies in traditional weddings are still passed down by the Red Dao people of Cao Bang to educate their descendants.
The wedding of the Red Dao people consists of many complicated rituals (depending on each group or region, there are separate rituals). But in general, the wedding ceremony is carried out through several steps such as: the "minh nai" engagement ceremony, the official "ghia tinh" engagement ceremony and the wedding ceremony.
When a boy reaches 13 or 14 years old, parents often look for a girl who is pleasing to the eye, obedient and hard-working, then they go to propose and establish a relationship with the girl's family. Parents are the ones who decide on their children's marriage. If the girl's date of birth is compatible with the boy's, they decide to hold an engagement ceremony. The engagement ceremony usually involves the boy's father or mother personally going to the girl's house, with gifts including a bottle of wine, a roll of red wool, and a strip of cloth.
After the official engagement ceremony, the girl is allowed to stay home from nine months to a year to embroider clothes, belts, scarves... At the same time, if the groom's family requests, the girl must also embroider pants or belts for the groom's family (however many sets the groom's family embroiders, they must pay for all materials such as wool, fabric, embroidery thread...). In addition to fabric, wool and thread to sew new clothes, the groom's family must prepare enough dowry to the bride's family for the wedding day including: pork, rice, wine, silver for making jewelry: 200 eight-cornered flowers, two necklaces worth about 12 silver coins, a pair of bracelets... The bride's dowry for the bride to her husband's house is usually: a wooden box, a sheep blanket, a pair of mats, a wash basin.
On the wedding day (predetermined from the engagement ceremony), before taking the bride to the groom's house, the bride's family slaughters a boiled chicken and makes an offering, informing the ancestors that from now on this girl will be getting married. The number of relatives of the bride's family taking the bride to the groom's house is informed in advance to the groom's family so that the groom's family can prepare a feast and meat to share with everyone on the bride's family to take home, and also to share wine.
The bride's procession to the groom's house also has a trumpet player to see the bride off. If the two houses are close together, the groom's family can send someone to pick her up halfway. If they are too far apart, the bride's family will bring rice balls to eat along the way, and will only be able to pick her up when they get close to the groom's house. While on the road, the bride is held by the bridesmaids with umbrellas and must cover her face the entire way with an elaborately embroidered cloth, adorned with jewelry that has a triangular frame covering her head. When wearing a veil and going out the door, the bride is not allowed to turn around to look at her parents or siblings.
The Red Dao people maintain wearing traditional costumes in weddings and festivals.
When the bride's family approached the groom's house, the bride's family blew a trumpet to let the groom's family know so they could come out to welcome them. The groom's family also blew trumpets, drums and gongs in response to greet the bride's family, circled around the bride's family three times, both sides bowed to each other before entering the house. After that, the groom's family began to organize the ceremony to receive the new bride and organized a grand feast for both families.
In the marriage of the Red Dao, if the son moves to live with his wife's family permanently, he must change his last name to his wife's.
Nowadays, the cultural life of ethnic groups has changed a lot, the Red Dao people are no exception, the wedding ceremony has also been adjusted to suit current conditions, however the basic steps are still preserved, especially in terms of costumes. Young people leave their hometowns, go to work far away, and absorb modern cultures, but in their wedding ceremonies they still maintain their ethnic costumes in traditional wedding ceremonies.
Hong Chuyen/Cao Bang Newspaper
Source: https://baophutho.vn/dam-cuoi-cua-nguoi-dao-do-216947.htm
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