The wedding custom of vietnamese people and english people = phong tục cưới hỏi của người việt nam và người anh tertiary level scientific research project year 2007 – 2008

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES TERTIARY LEVEL SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH PROJECT YEAR 2007 – 2008 THE WEDDING CUSTOM OF VIETNAMESE PEOPLE AND ENGLISH PEOPLE VÕ THỊ NỮ CHÂU NGUYỄN TRẦN ĐỨC HUY TRẦN THỊ TUYẾT MAI LÂM NGUYỄN HẠNH UYÊN NGUYỄN THỊ BÍCH VY Supervisor: Ms VÕ THỊ HỒNG MAI Ho Chi Minh, April – 2008 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Introduction CHAPTER I: VIETNAMESE WEDDING CUSTOM .6 1.1 Vietnamese wedding custom in the past 1.1.1 Nap Thai etiquette 1.1.2 Van Danh etiquette 1.1.3 Nap Cat etiquette 1.1.4 Nap Te etiquette 1.1.5 Thinh Ki etiquette 1.1.6 Nghenh hon etiquette 1.2 Vietnamese wedding custom in modern times 1.2.1 Stages of Vietnamese wedding custom in modern times 10 1.2.1.1 Cham Ngo etiquette 10 1.2.1.2 Hoi etiquette 10 1.2.1.3 Cuoi etiquette 13 1.2.2 Some differences between the modern Vietnamese weddings and the past ones 14 CHAPTER II: BRITISH WEDDING CUSTOM 17 2.1 British engagement and wedding ceremony and some related custom and rites 17 2.1.1 Engagement ceremony 17 2.1.2 Preparations for weddings 18 2.1.3 Wedding ceremony .22 2.2 Wedding parties 25 2.2.1 Wedding cakes 25 2.2.2 Wedding parties 27 2.2.3 Dancing .29 2.3 Honeymoon .29 CHAPTER III: THE ORIGIN OF WEDDING CUSTOM 31 3.1 The origin of English wedding custom .31 3.2 The origin of Vietnamese wedding custom 33 BIBLIOGRAPHY .38 INTRODUCTION The problem and rationale: Vietnam is now on the way to get integrated into the world The word “integration” has been used more often since Vietnam became an official member of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), the United Nations (UN), and the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Studying other countries’ cultures is an important step in the integration process In addition, in the modern age, there have been many English people who work and live in Vietnam, and vice versa From this relationship, there are more weddings between Vietnamese people and English people Therefore, knowing the wedding customs of English people is quite important to those majoring in English in particular and Vietnamese people in general One more point which should be mentioned is whether the wedding customs of English people have influenced those of Vietnamese people or not and in what ways Vietnamese wedding customs have been influenced Aims and objectives: There have been many research and articles about the wedding custom of English people and Vietnamese people However, researchers just mention the wedding customs of English people or Vietnamese people; they did not any research on whether the wedding custom of Vietnamese people is influenced by that of English people In this research, we hope to give an answer to this question This research also support the course of “The basic of Vietnamese culture” which is taught in the first semester and the course of British Studies which is taught in the fifth and sixth semesters at Faculty of English Linguistics and Literature – University of Social Sciences and Humanities – Vietnam National University – Ho Chi Minh City In addition, we also hope that this research will help readers more confident when communicating with foreigners, especially English people since this research may be an overview of a part of English culture and Vietnamese culture CHAPTER I: VIETNAMESE WEDDING CUSTOM 1.1 Vietnamese wedding custom in the past In the past, especially among the upper classes, a marriage was arranged not by the couple themselves but by their families The purpose of marriage was not only the settlement of the couple’s life but also the establishment of an alliance between two families According to “Thọ mai gia lễ” by Hồ Sỹ Tân (cited in Pham Con Son, 2007: 33), a traditional wedding has six etiquettes: nap thai, van danh, nap te, thinh ki, and nghenh hon 1.1.1 Nap Thai etiquette (Lễ Nạp Thái): Nap Thai etiquette is also called Cham Ngo etiquette (lễ Chạm Ngõ) This etiquette is the first time members of groom’s family (or matchmaker) and groom visits bride’s family to formally propose marriage to her In this etiquette, the groom’s family has to present to the bride’s family with betel leaves, betel-nuts, Vietnamese rice wine and tea Picture 1.1: Betel leaves, and betel-nuts 1.1.2 Van Danh etiquette (Lễ Vấn Danh): Van Danh, which also takes place in the bride’s family, is the etiquette after Nap Thai The Van Danh etiquette is also called An Hoi where names and ages of prospective brides and grooms are exchanged Then the two families would compare the bride’s age with the groom’s age in order to decide whether they have compatible ages for marriage or not In the Van Danh etiquette, the couple is formally introduced to each other and to their future spouse’s family as betrothed This is also the time for two families, especially the parents, to get to know each other Besides betel leaves, betel-nuts, Vietnamese rice wine and tea, the groom’s family has to present Xoi Ga (steamed glutinous rice mixed with chicken), a roast pork and cakes Moreover, Su Se cakes (a special kind of green - colored pastry used for Vietnamese wedding) and Com cakes (grilled cakes of fresh rice) are also required The Su Se cake with the green colour symbolizes for Yang and the Com cake with the white colour symbolizes for Yin According to Vietnamese custom, the harmony of Yin and Yang means the harmony of the nature On this day, the bride’s family would require wedding presents from the future groom’s family The couple could only be formally married, if the groom’s family can satisfy all of these requirements The presents usually are a couple of gold ear-rings, a couple of gold rings, blankets, flowered sedge mats, clothes, etc At the end of the Van Danh day, the bride’s family gives a little of the presents back to the groom’s family and the rest is given to cousins, neighbors and friends of the bride’s family as a wedding announcement Picture 1.2: Su Se cakes 1.1.3 Nap Cat etiquette (Lễ Nạp Cát): In the Nap Cat etiquette, the groom’s family will inform the bride’s family about the best day for receiving bride 1.1.4 Nap Te etiquette (Lễ Nạp Tệ): At the appointed time and date, the representation of the bride’s family brings what the bride’s family has exacted in the Van Danh ceremony 1.1.5 Thinh Ki etiquette (Lễ Thỉnh Kỉ): On the wedding day before receiving bride time, the groom's mother along with a few other close relatives would make a trip to the bride's home, carrying a tray of betel and a bottle of Vietnamese rice wine The groom’s mother would officially ask permission to "receive" the bride and then confirm the time that the procession would arrive to bring the bride to her new home 1.1.6 Nghenh Hon etiquette (Lễ Nghênh Hôn): This is the last stage and also the chief part of a wedding ceremony The procession of the groom’s family is led by a specific order: the first person will be a man chosen as the representative of the groom's house (he should have a good manner of speaking along with high status in society), followed by the present carriers and the huge traditional umbrellas, the groom's father, the groom, then the rest of his immediate family and close friends Interestingly, in the past the groom's mother did not take part in the procession as a sign that she would not be a threat to the future bride (and she would even hide for a short period upon the bride's welcome into the groom's home) However, this practice has long been abandoned Wedding rituals are performed before the ancestral altars of two families The couple then officially becomes husband and wife In Vietnamese traditional wedding custom, there was another etiquette, which was called cheo etiquette (lễ cheo) Cheo etiquette was held before or after the Nghinh Hôn etiquette, the groom’s family offered some gifts or a sum of money to the bride’s village In the past, only after this etiquette, the wedding was officially certified by the bride’s villagers Picture 1.3: Nghenh Hon etiquette 1.2 Vietnamese wedding custom in the modern times: In the old age, if two lovers want to become a couple, they had to organize a lot of etiquette Some etiquette, however, is gradually cut out nowadays and only indispensable ceremonies are retained There are many reasons for this but two followings are principal ones 10 • The first is life condition The life is now more and more civilized and modern Vietnamese people find that the old wedding customs are complex and unnecessary to organize all of them On the other hand, bride’s and bridegroom’s family also want to reduce wedding expenses for useful purposes after wedding • The second is Party and Government’s regulation to carry out “a solemn, healthy and economical wedding” Cutting out some unnecessary etiquette not only brings about economy for bride’s and bridegroom’s families, but also reduces some social evils which appear through some etiquette such as exacting wedding-presents in some village communities, etc 1.2.1 Stages of Vietnamese wedding custom in modern times: From 1997 to now (2008), Vietnamese weddings usually have three following etiquettes: Cham Ngo etiquette (Lễ Chạm Ngõ), Hoi etiquette (Lễ Hỏi), Cuoi ettiquette (Lễ Cưới) 1.2.1.1 Cham Ngo Etiquette (Proposal etiquette) Nowadays, bride and bridegroom’s marriages are based on their love They know each other by sight That’s the reason why Cham Ngo etiquette (Lễ Chạm Ngõ) is no longer an occasion for the bridegroom meets the bride and versus This is the first time bridegroom’s family come to bride’s family to see each other The bridegroom’s family will bring bride’s family offerings such as tea, wine, fruits, pork pies and fermented pork roll, etc This visit completely is a chance for the bridegroom’s family to give a proposal After this etiquette, if nothing bad happens, Le Hoi (Engagement Etiquette) will be carried out 25 If two rings are exchanged, they loose hands and the bride places a ring on the fourth finger of the groom’s left hand While holding it, she says: “…, I give you this ring as a sign of our marriage With my body I honor you, all that I am I give to you, and all that I have I share with you, within the love of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” The priest next joins to the couple’s right hands together and says: “Those whom God has joined together let no one put asunder.” And then, the bride and groom are required to sign the register to make the marriage legal Two witnesses are required to be present at the ceremony, and also sign the register Traditionally, the best man and chief bridesmaid witness the signing of the register, but you can bestow this honor on favored family members if you wish Wedding ceremony is so important to them that every couple always wants their wedding to become special and unique with their inspiration As we have mentioned above, church has been considered as the traditional place to celebrate wedding ceremony In addition, wedding ceremony has been held in other places, such as in a Register Office, in a garden, at home, at a hilltop, in a park, or at the beach Even it may be in a hospital if one partner is unable to leave or is detained there as a psychiatric inpatient or in a prison if one partner is a prisoner Nowadays, young couples can also celebrate their wedding on the ship or even under the sea In general, people can set up their most specially time in their lives at many various places, which depends on their taste and condition, but church is still the traditional and best place for wedding 2.2 Wedding parties 2.2.1 Wedding cakes In Britain, wedding cakes are very important in wedding parties Wedding cakes nowadays are quite big and have many layers Wedding cakes represent for the bride and bridegroom’s love Tradition generally requires the 26 first cut of the cake be performed by bride and groom together After that, the bride must serve all portions to the groom’s family as a symbolic transfer from her own house to her husband house Other guests may then partake of the cake; portions may be taken home or shipped to people who missed the festivities Picture 2.8: The first cut of the wedding cake An old tradition claimed that if the bridesmaid slept with a piece of wedding cakes beneath her pillow, she might dream of her future husband However, this custom does not exist now Wedding cake toppers are often put at the top of wedding cakes Wedding cake toppers are often figured that indicate shared hobbies and passions Picture 2.9: Wedding cake toppers 27 2.2.2 Wedding parties In England, there is no “right” menu for a wedding meal Nowadays, there are three most common ways to hold an wedding meal A formal and sit-down dinner is the traddional wedding meal, but it can also be the expensive Guests will sit at a ready-set table and be likely served three courses, along with coffee, wedding cake, wine and champagne Besides a well-planned menu, a sit-down dinner requires a lot of waiting staff However, there are also many benefits of a formal and sit-down wedding meal Picture 2.10: A traditional wedding party Firstly, all the guests will have a set place to sit; and someone who does not know many others will not feel left out Last but not least, if we have a large number of guests, a sit-down dinner can be less chaotic than a buffet, and guests will feel more comfortable Another kind of wedding party which is less formal than a sit-down wedding party is the fork buffet This allows guests to choose many foods from a buffet, and then sit at a formal table setting to eat 28 Picture 2.11: Fork buffet Nowadays, many young couples think that the fork buffet is the best choice because guests are allowed to have more of a decision in what they eat; but the formality of beautifully set tables is still retained Recently, they often divide the wedding party are into different smaller areas for many kinds of food For example, there may be an Indian food stall, a Thai food stall, an Italian food stall,… The fork buffet is quite popular in England nowadays because it is considered as the combination of the tradition and the modernity In addition, one more kind of wedding party which is also popular in England nowadays is the finger buffet Picture 2.12: Finger buffet With a finger buffet, guests don't require cutlery and are free to mingle and eat at the same time The food might include things like tasty canapés, delicate sandwiches, individual pastries and dips This is less expensive option, but there are also certain things to consider It is not ideal to expect people to stand for a long duration Some people, especially elderly people, still want to have a seat, regardless of the party requires cutlery or not A well-organized reception with a finger buffet should still offer some seats around tables for those who want to rest Three kinds of wedding party which English couples often choose are mentioned above; however, they also have to decide whether their wedding party will hold inside or outside 29 2.2.3 Dancing Dancing is one of the most important parts in a wedding party in England in particular and in Western countries in general Choosing music is very important to dancing The bride-groom can choose a band, a DJ or just a good loudspeaker for the dancing in their wedding party In most contemporary wedding, waltz and romantic songs are often played The first dance in the party is the bride and groom’s The wedding reception dance party may involve a certain sequence of special dances For example, after the first dance, the groom may escort his bride to her father for a special father/daughter dance Following the various special dance, the guests are invited to join in the dancing Dancing is one of the most remarkable parts in England Picture: 2.13: Bride and bridegroom are dancing Picture 2.14: Guests are dancing 2.3 Honeymoon In England, honeymoon is one of the most important parts in a wedding because it makes a wedding become more romantic and interesting 30 Picture 2.15: Honeymoon Honeymoon is a private and intimate period of time for the newlywed couple A honeymoon is not just getting away from people and not just a vacation It helps in establishing the new marriage Honeymoon is a special time for the new marriage to set down its roots; the only vacation they will ever take that has such meaning and significance to the most important relationship of their life In other words, honeymoon is casting off of the bride and groom’s old life and the beginning of the new one It is also the time for brides and grooms to shut out the world for a while, to look only at each other and to know that if each other is all she/he has ever had, it will be more than enough In short, a honeymoon literally means going away, symbolically and physically, from everybody one knows to a place where no one knows them and where the newly wed could stay together and know more about each other and establish long lasting bond Therefore, honeymoon is an important part in the British regional youths’ wedding 31 CHAPTER III: THE ORIGIN OF WEDDING CUSTOM We all know that the wedding custom is an aspect of culture In this chapter, we are trying to find the origin of the wedding custom of English and Vietnamese people 3.1 The origin of English wedding custom: Until 1753, there was no formal state involvement in marriages In Anglo-Saxon times, the bride’s father would lead a public ceremony, called a “bewedding” In this ceremony, the groom and his family offered guarantees to the bride’s guardians that she would be looked after Later, this ceremony is called “weds” Most of English are Catholics That is the reason why most of English weddings have been held in the church in 1500s Moreover, the introduction of Lord Hardwicke’s Marriage Act in 1753 meant that all marriages had to take place in the Church of England Like other cultural aspects, many English wedding tradition originate in England, some are the results of cultural exchange Most brides today marry in white dress which symbolizes maidenhood This tradition just started by the rich in the sixteenth century when it was very difficult for the poor to find the white fabric Queen Victoria wore white for her wedding and started the fashion for wearing white Before the white dress was popular, brides often wore their best dress Traditionally, it was thought that the brides would be prevented from the evil and unlucky things if on the wedding day, they wore a veil The veil was originally worn by Roman brides Not until 1800s did the veil become popular in England In England, it was associated with modesty and chastity The wedding ring, which is the most famous symbol of the joining of a man and a woman as husband and wife in the institution of marriage, has a long and wide spread Its beginnings lie in the deserts of North Africa, where the 32 ancient Egyptian civilization sprang up along the fertile flood plains of the river Nile, 4,800 years ago In the Middle Age, in England, rings often could not afford; coins were used instead of rings A broken coin was given to the bride; and the groom kept the other half Later, in England, there was a tradition that grooms slid the wedding rings from the thumb to the index finger, the middle finger, saying “In the presence of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit” and putting the ring on the ring finger of brides’ left hands However, until 1950, it was pointed out clearly that the fourth finger of the left hand was officially the wedding ring in “The Book of Common Prayer” written by the son of Henry VIII However, in all the time, the wedding ring is not always on the ring finger of the left hand In the Elizabethan time, brides wore the wedding ring on the thumb According to English people, it is considered as bad luck if the bride returns to look in the mirror once before she leaves the house for the wedding ceremony And, if she sees lambs, toads, spiders, black cats, rainbows or a chimney sweep on the way to the wedding, it brings good luck However, it will be unlucky if she sees an open grave, a pig, a lizard, monks and nuns, or hears a cockerel crow after dawn It may be because they are associated with poverty and chastity When the bride and the groom enter their new marital home, it is traditional for the groom to carry the bride over the threshold There are a lot of different explanations for this, however, according to the Anglo-Saxon custom, it may be that the groom steals his bride and carries her off The wedding cakes originated in Roman people Ancient Roman wedding ceremonies were finalized by breaking a cake of wheat or barley over the bride’s head as a symbol of good fortune The Roman poet and philosopher Lucretius, in De Rerum Natura (On the Nature of Things), wrote that the breaking of the cake over the bride’s head mellowed into crumbling the sweet wheat cakes over her head After all the cakes were used up, the guests were supplied with handfuls of confetto, a sweet mixture of nuts, dried fruit, and 33 honeyed almonds These sweetmeats were an important part of the wedding banquet and continued to be so for hundreds of years When Roman invaded Britain in 43A.D, this custom also became a part of English wedding In England, in medieval times, each guest at the wedding was supposed to bring a small cake; the cakes would be stacked on the table in levels and layers The bride and groom would try and kiss over the top of the cakes without toppling them for good luck and prosperity These cake stacks would eventually merge into one cake evolve into the modern icing wedding cake It can be said that the origin of wedding cake is Roman Empire times, but it have developed in England The word honeymoon has its roots in the Norse word "hjunottsmanathr" which was anything but blissful Honeymoon originated in Northern Europe in circa 433A.D This was the custom in which the newlyweds, for the first month of their marital life, drank a daily cup of honeyed wine called mead In early 19th century Great Britain, the honeymoon was considered as the “bridal tour” In this custom, the newlywed couple would go on a holiday together to visit relatives who would not have attended their weddings They might go with their families, friends This practice soon spread to European continent and was known as voyage la faỗon anglaise (English-style voyage) in France from the 1820s on However, honeymoon in modern sense – which is a pure holiday voyage undertaken by the newly married couple and the time for a couple to celebrate their marriage and new life together – began in France in late 19th century Over the history time, the format of the honeymoon has become a lot more civilized and romantic However, from the past to now, honeymoon has kept its original meaning – “the sweetest of life” 3.2 The origin of Vietnamese wedding custom: Vietnamese’s weddings are the combination of wedding etiquettes which belong to the Orient culture and European culture At the end of “Western Han” (206 BC – AD) and at the beginning of “Eastern Han” (25 – 34 220), the Han culture began to spread into Vietnam Confucianism is a part of Han culture; certainly it soon appeared in Vietnam Actually, the Confucianism in Vietnam maybe appeared at the end of “Eastern Han” Tích Quang and Nhâm Diên are two Chinese mandarins who are praised for their civilization of politeness and reason not only in China history but also in Vietnam history “Song hỷ” is derived from China and six etiquettes in wedding of Vietnam have also originated in Chinese wedding tradition When Confucianism was introduced to Vietnam, six etiquettes in Vietnamese’s wedding were also formed, similarly to Chinese wedding etiquettes The court played an important role in propagating these six etiquettes into Vietnam Confucianism came to Vietnam in the period of domination by northern invaders Although these wedding etiquettes had their origin in China, the Vietnamese people did not acquire completely Vietnamese weddings also show the national characters “Su sê” pastry which is created by Bac Ninh people, northern residents of a province in Vietnam, is one of the integral offerings to Bac Ninh people and also the Vietnamese people generally “Su sê” is a symbol of loyalty Accompany with time, it has become the cultural character of the Vietnamese people Bac Ninh people created “su sê” but Chinese people had a role in putting it on the market The betel and areca play an important role in Vietnamese culture In Vietnam, there is a saying that "the betel begins the conversation", referring to the practice of people chewing betel in formal occasions or "to break the ice" in awkward situational conversations The betel leaves and areca nuts are used ceremonially in traditional Vietnamese’s weddings Based on a folk tale about the origins of these plants, the groom traditionally offers the bride's parents betel leaves and areca nuts (among other things) in exchange for the bride The betel and areca are such important symbols of love and marriage such that in Vietnamese the phrase "matters of betel and areca" (chuyện trầu cau) is 35 synonymous with marriage The betel and areca also play an important role in Indian culture especially among Hindus All the traditional ceremonies governing the lives of Hindus use betel and areca For example to pay money to the priest, they keep money in the betel leaves and place it beside the priest The Vietnamese people have also some rites which bring particular traits of Vietnam such as “nộp cheo”, “giã cối đón dâu”, “trải chiếu”, etc It is because Vietnamese’s weddings have a close connection with the interests of the village community For the Vietnamese people, the most important thing is stability of the village community That is the reason why once the wedding takes place, the bridegroom’s family has to give the village community of bride’s family a sum of money which is called “cheo” When the interests of the village community are satisfied, the couple thinks of their private demand Although wedding is the privacy between the bride and the bridegroom, it shows the interests of two families So, it is not simply selecting a person to be a husband or a wife but selecting a symmetrical family These are the specific characteristics of the Vietnamese Everything which relates to an individual also relates to the community, not except to marriage Vietnamese weddings acquire from not only China but also other countries Wedding – ring is an example Wedding-ring was derived from the period of ancient Egypt, about 4,000 years before For the Egyptian, weddingring connects with a supernatural force; a circle has no ending point to show an everlasting love The bride often puts wedding-ring on the ring finger of the bridegroom’s left hand Both the Greece and the ancient Egyptian believe that blood-vessel of love will run from this finger to heart Until the twentieth century, just women wear wedding-ring but when the Second World War happened, many young men had to take leave of their wives to go into battle for a long time Husbands began to wear wedding-rings as a symbol of marriage and nostalgia to their wives Because it conveys noble and romantic 36 meaning, it still exists until now Especially, in Vietnamese weddings, it is a very important process Cream wedding cakes which we have seen in Vietnamese weddings nowadays are the product of the Roman This kind of cake has the same origin with cream wedding cake in England In general, Vietnamese wedding is the inheritance and development of positive elements from the other countries wedding tradition However, Vietnamese weddings have also specific characters Nowadays, together with the development of time, Vietnamese weddings have had a lot of changes but that is a selective change to be appropriate to habits and customs of the Vietnamese people and to make Vietnamese wedding more and more special 37 CONCLUSION From our research, we think that readers can have an overview about the English wedding custom and Vietnamese wedding custom as well as the differences between them Wedding custom in every country has its own particular characters However, every country also wants to reach to the best and makes them more special and unique That is the reason why besides the specific characters, wedding custom in every country also have some elements which are acquired from outside In Vietnam, most of the wedding etiquette is derived from China because Vietnam was invaded in such a long time by China Nowadays, Vietnam is on the way to get integrated, so Vietnamese culture as well as Vietnamese wedding habits and customs have the chance to exchange with many countries in the world Besides, in the past, Vietnam was invaded by France and the USA Therefore, Vietnamese culture, especially Vietnamese wedding custom was also effected by the culture of these two countries As mentioned in chapter III, many of these customs have the origin in England In short, some Vietnamese wedding customs have been indirectly influenced by British wedding customs 38 BIBLIOGRAPHY: Vietnamese Nguyệt Hạ, Phong tục Hôn lễ, Tang lễ, Tế lễ Vietnam, Nhà xuất Đà Nẵng, 2005 Thanh Liêm, Phong tục Việt Nam, Phong tục Gia đình – Xã hội, Nhà xuất Văn hố – Thơng tin, 2007 Bùi Ngọc Mai, Phong tục Việt Nam xưa nay, Nhà xuất Văn hố – Thơng tin, 2004 Bùi Xuân Mỹ - Phạm Minh Thảo, Tục cưới hỏi Việt Nam, Nhà xuất Văn hoá – Thông tin, 2006 Phạm Côn Sơn, Gia lễ xưa nay, Nhà xuất Thanh niên, 2007 Trần Ngọc Thêm, Cơ sở Văn hoá Việt Nam, Nhà xuất Giáo dục, 1999 English: Adrian Wallwork, The Book of Days, Cambridge University Press, 2001 Daniel Diehl – Mark Donnelly, Medieval Celebrations: How to Plan Holidays, Weddings, and Reenactments with Recipes, Customs, Costumes, Decorations, Songs, Dances, and Games, Stackpole Books,U.S., 2001 Simon R Charsley, Wedding Cakes and Cultural History, Taylor & Francis, Inc., 1992 Ngô Phương Thiện – Anya Burghes – White, Lê Công Thiện, Văn Thị Nhã Trúc, Bùi Thị Phương Thảo – Nguyễn Ngọc Hạnh, British Studies – Textbook – Legacy of the past, Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City Publishing House, 2003 39 Websites: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honeymoon en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedding_cake en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedding_invitation family.jrank.org/pages/799/Honeymoon-History.html www.datingmatchmakers.com/wedding/honeymoon.aspx www.flickr.com www.hitched.co.uk/wedgifts/tradition.asp www.hudsonvalleyweddings.com/guide/honey.html www.weddings.co.uk 10 www.weddingdetails.com/lore/english.cfm ... the wedding custom of English people and Vietnamese people However, researchers just mention the wedding customs of English people or Vietnamese people; they did not any research on whether the. .. III: THE ORIGIN OF WEDDING CUSTOM We all know that the wedding custom is an aspect of culture In this chapter, we are trying to find the origin of the wedding custom of English and Vietnamese people. .. especially English people since this research may be an overview of a part of English culture and Vietnamese culture 6 CHAPTER I: VIETNAMESE WEDDING CUSTOM 1.1 Vietnamese wedding custom in the past