The traditional wedding in Vietnam

The wedding is one of the most important and biggest occasions in your life. Vietnam traditional wedding ceremony encompasses many unique special stages and customs as shown in this article.

A traditional wedding of Vietnam includes 3 main stages: the marriage proposal, betrothal ceremony and wedding ceremony.

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Marriage proposal

This is a meeting between the two families when the groom’s side will come to the bride’s house, bringing some simple offerings such as betel leaves, cakes, tea, fruits. Those offerings will be placed at the altar when the bride’s side agrees to receive. This ceremony is considered as a meeting between the two sides to know more about each other and discuss the preparation for the betrothal and wedding ceremony. This occasion remarks the relations between the two sides.

The bride’s family and groom’s family in the marriage proposal

Betrothal ceremony

This ceremony is the chance for the couple to officially inform to their entire families and relatives about their coming marriage. The ceremony includes a ritual offerings and a small party held by the bride’s family. The engagement presents include areca nuts, betel leaves, two bottles of liquor, tea and “banh com” (molasses-flavored glutinous rice cake), gold jewelry, and clothes for the bride. The presents are distributed to the relatives and friends as an engagement announcement. Traditionally, the engagement presents determining by the bride’s family will show how rich or poor the bride is, as this displays the wealth of the bride’s family to the groom’s family. Likewise, by meeting the requirement, the groom’s family also displays their wealth. During this engagement, the bride’s side and the groom’s side discuss the lucky day which is suitable for their wedding ceremony by asking a fortune teller. A lucky day is chosen based on the horoscopes of the couple (and sometimes of the parents’ ones as well) to ensure that marriage will result in wealth, happiness and fertility.

Wedding ceremony

Wedding ceremony which is the final step of Vietnam traditional wedding ceremony is the occasion that marks bride and groom are now husband and wife. On this day, the groom’s side will come to the bride’s house with trays of presents which are identical to presents in the engagement. There will be 3, 5, 7 or even 9 people (just odd numbers of people – the signal of good luck) carrying those trays. There will be girls of the bride’s side dressing “ao dai”, the traditional dress of Vietnam and vest on the groom’s side. All of them must be unmarried people. Each girl will carry a tray with the man from the groom’s side.

Gifts from the groom’s side

Girls from the bride’s side and boys from the groom’s side carrying presents

The groom’s families and relatives will stop in front of the bride’s house, there will be fireworks as the welcome from the bride’s side. The groom’s family will introduce themselves then ask for the permission of the bride’s family to allow their marriage. In this ceremony, the bride often wears red “ao dai” and dark suit for the groom.
When all trays of presents are brought into the bride’s house, it will be placed in front of the altar. Then, the bride and groom will burn incenses to pay tribute to the ancestors and ask the ancestors’ permission to allow their marriage and wish for their marriage filled with joy and happy. They also express their gratitude to the bride’s parents for raising her up.

The master of the ceremony and parents of their both sides will have a speech showing their best wishes for the groom and bride. Then comes the time of wedding party, in this party the groom and bride and their parents will come to each table to thank their guests. Before that, the guests give an envelope containing money as a gift blessing for the couple. After the wedding party, the groom is allowed to bring the bride to his house.

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Day for killing insects

Doan Ngo Festival has another simple name in Vietnamese: "Tet Giet Sau Bo" (day for killing insects). It's held on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month in the year. In the opinion of Vietnamese, that's the time of transition from spring to summer and thus, insects and diseases have good condition to develop. 

In the early morning, Vietnamese eat some traditional foods which are believed that are effective for killing all insects and diseases in the body. These are fresh fruits, “banh u” (“u” cake), “banh tro” (“tro” cake) and “com ruou”.
At noon (hour of “Ngo”), the householder offers ancestor with a hearty tray of foods and fresh fruits. The house is filled with solemn ambiance of incense scent and prayer. By doing this, he wishes for health for all members of family and harvest as well. Doan Ngo Festival is also an occasion when Vietnamese people can show their gratitude to the others. On that day, son-in-law will prepare some gifts to give his parents-in-law; students also have small present for their teachers; the patients express gratitude to doctors with their products.
It’s also said that the fifth day of the fifth lunar month is the day to honor Mother Au Co – the mother of Vietnamese people. Mentioned a folk verse:

“Tháng Năm ngày tết Đoan Dương.

Là ngày giỗMẹViệt Thường Văn Lang.”

It can be literally translated as “Doan Ngo Festival of the fifth lunar month is Mother Au Co’s death anniversary”. Perhaps, traditional liturgy of ancestor worship in Doan Ngo Festival originated from this.

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Traditional Festival

Lunar New Year Festival - the occasion that marks the beginning of a new year in lunar calendar, is also called "Tet" or "Tet Nguyen Dan" in Vietnamese. This is the most important festival in Vietnam which usually takes place annually around late January or early February.
 

Lunar New Year Festival in Vietnam has many similar features with Lunar New Year Festival in other Oriental countries in the regions, especially with Chinese one. However, Vietnamese Lunar New Year Festival and Chinese one may not happen at the same time as difference in lunar calendars of two countries.
Preparation
For about one or even two weeks before, Vietnamese people has prepared for the New Year because they think that by the time a new year comes, everything must be new to welcome luck and get rid of bad thing. They spend time to clean their house, particularly ancestral altar, and decorate the house with new things which are usually in red (the color symbolizing the luck). Housewives are always busy with preparing food for “Tet” holiday and buying accessories for traditional rites. All members of family also get new clothes and of course, kids are always excited most by their new clothes. Particularly, all debts must be paid back because paying debt in the New Year will bring bad fortune in all around the year.

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