REPORT v ietnaứweddlĩỉiaditional vietnamese history and culture

International University Department of English REPORT V ietnaứWeddlĩỉiaditional Vietnamese History and Culture Name: Hoàng Lê Gia Bảo Student’s ID: ENENIU18011 Instructor: Prof Dr Võ Văn Sen CONTENTS VIETNAMESE WEDDING PROCESS The past Today SYMBOLISM AT VIETNAMESE WEDDING 15 Song Hỷ Character A pair of Dragon and Phoenix A pair of love birds 16 16 17 BETEL LEAVES AND ARECA NUTS LACQUERED BOX 19 South Vietnam North Vietnam REFERENCES 19 20 22 There are famous words from a Vietnamese folk song: “buy buffalo, get married, build a house.” which illustrates that a wedding is one of the most important events in one’s life: _ having a career, getting married, and building a house A beautiful wedding tradition has been preserved and passed from generation to generation for thousands of years Therefore, I would like to write a paper to demonstrate one of the most important aspects of Vietnamese culture I/ VIETNAMESE WEDDING PROCESS 1/ The past In the past, the wedding process is quite complicated as it requires main ceremonies The first ceremony is Nạp tài in which the groom’s family brings a pair of swallows, the kind of bird symbolizes the loyalty, to the bride’s house in order to indicate that the groom decides to get married to the bride The second ceremony is vấn danh In this stage, a matchmaker (“bà mối” in Vietnamese) will be asked to come to the bride’s house and find out the bride’s name and birthday by the groom’s family The third stage is Nạp cát which is used to announce that the groom’s family had already gone to a fortune teller If he says that the groom and bride are a good couple, the following ceremonies will be held In contrast, the groom’s family will ask to stop the next stages The fourth ceremony is Nạp tệ in which the groom’s family brings betrothal gifts to the bride’s house as a promise of a happy ending After Nạp tệ ceremony, a Thỉnh kỳ ceremony will be held to decide the date when the wedding should be taken place The fínal step is Thân nghinh On this day, the groom’s family will bring betrothal gifts to the bride’s family and then escort the bride to the groom’s house 2/ Today Although there are many complicated steps in the past before the wedding is taken place, these days the wedding process is reduced to ceremonies including Proposal (Dạm ngõ), Ẹngagement (Đám hỏi), and finally Wedding ceremony (Đám cưới) I wiTl analyze the íirst two ceremonies in categories: purpose, attendants, clothes, presents, and activities a/ Proposal ceremony • Purpose The proposal ceremony is held to formalize the relationship between families as well as deciding the engagement and wedding dates Therefore, there is no need for the groom’s family to bring many presents to the bride’s house Ạttendants There is a must for the presence of the groom’s parents and the groom Also, the matchmaker and the groom’s relatives (aunts, uncles,etc.) can attend the proposal ceremony Similarly, there is a must for the presence of the bride’s parents and the bride The bride’s relatives (aunts, uncles,etc.) can also attend the proposal ceremony It is better that there are around 5-7 attendants for each family; however, this number can be changed depends on the regions • Clothes There is no obligatory dress code for this ceremony; however, it is better for attendants to suits formal clothes For example, Vietnamese traditional Ao dai for female and suits for male * Presents The tpresents wdl be prepared.bylhẹ.ta-ie grooiAs íamily i&amust to havẹ beterieaVes and areca nuts, wmch symooIlSO JL the coUpTe s neartielt love, in me betrothal gifts, a wine which is covered by a red cloth Besides, it is necessary to have other things such as candies, cakes, fruits, and tobacco which is optional Beteỉ ỉeaves and areca nuts • Activities Before the groom’s family comes, the family of the bride must decorate their house and prepare foods and drinks such as tea and some cakes for the other family, which will create a good expression Moreover, the bride’s family has to pay much attention to the altar on where they should be put a fruit tray When the groom’s family arrives, they give their betrothal gifts to the bride’s family, which is a symbol of the agreement After that, two families will have a small talk about their expectations of their future groom/bride as well as their family’s traditions and customs, which will byc