Unique wedding ceremony of the Ve people

Reenacting the wedding ceremony of the Ve people. Photo: D.N

In Nam Giang, the Ve people (a branch of the Gie Trieng ethnic group) mainly reside in the two communes of Dac Pre and Dac Pring. Due to the rugged terrain, in the past, the marriage process of the Ve people was carried out after a process of getting to know each other and matchmaking. When both families agreed, the wedding preparations were carried out quickly, starting with the preparation of wedding gifts.

Mr. Tran Ngoc Hung - Head of the Department of Culture and Information of Nam Giang district said that according to the traditional customs of the Ve people, the wedding day is also chosen on a full moon day. This is considered a "double moon" day, with two halves overlapping each other, which is very good for marriage. Because the Ve people believe that by holding a wedding ceremony on this day, the couple will not be alone in life. They will live together for the rest of their lives like two pieces of the moon closing into a full circle. "The time to prepare for the wedding ceremony depends on the family's economy," Mr. Hung shared.

To prepare the wedding gifts, the groom's family prepares a tray of gifts including pigs, chickens, fish, rice wine, gongs, jars, etc. The bride's family prepares wedding firewood (this is considered an important task in the process of preparing gifts for the Ve people's marriage). Therefore, right after the engagement ceremony of the groom's family, the Ve girl begins to follow her relatives to collect dry firewood to bring home to chop into small pieces. The gifts will be brought to the groom's family, showing the bride's sincerity on the wedding day.

The Ve people's wedding ceremony usually takes place at the groom's house. According to custom, on the morning of the wedding day, the matchmaker invites the bride's family to the groom's house to attend the wedding. The matchmaker leads the procession, followed by the bride, her parents, relatives, and finally the girls who carry firewood.

When the bride's family arrives at the gate, the groom's family sprinkles clean water on each person as they enter the house, praying for both families to unite, prosper, be healthy, and be prosperous. Then, the groom's family uses pig's blood mixed with spring water taken from upstream for the bride's family to dip their feet in, implying to ward off all bad things.

“Before entering the groom’s house, the bride’s family must dip their feet in a bamboo tube containing pig’s blood and a fishing net before entering to hand over the firewood. The bride’s wedding firewood is received by the groom’s parents and placed in the house.

After that, the wedding firewood is arranged around the house, before performing the traditional ceremony. They place the wedding tray in front of the house, the matchmaker will witness the promise of the bride and groom. After that, both of them drink a cup of wine together and perform the ritual of burning chicken intestines, eating rice balls together..." - Mr. Hung said.

According to the Ve people's custom, at the wedding, depending on the groom's family's conditions, they often slaughter buffalo, cows, pigs, chickens, etc. to treat guests. To bless the young couple, both families of the in-laws dance together to the rhythm of the ding tut and gongs, sharing the joy with the community...

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/doc-dao-le-cuoi-cua-dong-bao-ve-3146271.html