Unique custom of bride bringing groom home in Ninh Thuan

Contrary to most wedding customs in many places that follow the matriarchal system, at the Cham wedding ceremony in Ninh Thuan, the bride will take the groom home.

The Cham Ba Ni people in Phan Rang (Ninh Thuan) still maintain a matriarchal system. If someone wants to be recognized as husband and wife by the villagers, they must hold a traditional wedding ceremony (in Cham language, Dam Likhah or Dam Bbang Mưnhum), and receive the blessing of the head monk and dignitaries in the village. The wedding customs of the Cham Ba Ni people demonstrate the important role of women in the matriarchal system, who have the right to "catch a husband".

The bride's family sets up a bamboo tent (called Kajang likhah) in the yard to start the official wedding ceremony. Cham weddings are held in the months of March, June, October and November (Cham calendar). On this day, at 3am, the bride's family must prepare the ceremony and food.

Over time, the Cham weddings of the past and present are not much different, from customs to rituals with simple offerings: betel and areca, wine, cakes and especially ikan yau stingray - symbolizing fertility.

Marriage among the Cham people is done through a matchmaker. Before that, this person brings some gold, silver, two jars of wine… to the family of the daughter to propose. If the marriage is successful, the two sides set a wedding date. On the wedding day, the son, along with guests and relatives, go to the bride’s house. And everyone gathers to eat, drink, dance, sing…

According to the matriarchal system, the entire engagement, wedding ceremony, and wedding ceremony are initiated by the bride's family. After the main ceremony, the groom will live at his wife's house.

In the photo, bride Thanh Phuong Ai Nhu prepares to put on makeup and wear traditional clothes on her big day.

Ai Nhu and Dao Van Hoa in traditional wedding attire. Today, the bride wears a Cham ao dai, a head covering made of cloth, covering her back, only revealing her face. The groom wears a sarong with a white scarf wrapped around his head with tassels on both sides.

Groom Dao Van Hoa used a silver bowl and water from the bride's house to wash his hands and feet three times according to the Koran, symbolizing cleanliness before entering the ceremony hall.

The bride and groom enter the Kajang likhah for the ceremony. As the priests burn incense, the groom offers his hand to the high priest for baptism. The high priest and the priests read the Koran to ask Allah for permission for the two young people to become a couple.

The wedding ceremony then took place in the bride's living room. Here, the groom was led into the bride's room to perform traditional rituals: the two sides exchanged betel and areca nuts, the groom gave the bride a dress... The bride put the betel and areca nuts in her husband's mouth, meaning that from now on she would take care of the groom's meals.

The bride and groom take turns exchanging wedding rings after saying "I do" to marry the other. The wedding rings have been blessed by monks beforehand.

The first 3 days and nights are called the wedding night. At this time, the couple sleeps without sharing a bed, eats and drinks in the room and is supervised.

The appearance of babies in the Cham Bani wedding is also important, meaning blessing the young couple to have many children in the future.

Their ceremony is usually simple. After the couple is recognized as husband and wife, both families will sit down to a tea party and drink dried stingray wine until the end of the day.

To Le Cung - Thach Thao

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