In the framework of the activities "Family cultural traditions of ethnic groups in the North Central region" was held on the occasion of "Vietnam Family Day" in 2016 at "Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism," June 26, 2016, the Pa Cô ethnic community from A Luoi district, Thua Thien Hue province recreated the wedding ceremony of its ethnic community.
According to the elder Ho Vien Pua from A Hua village, Nham commune, A Luoi district, Thua Thien Hue province, the wedding ceremony is the most important ritual in the life cycle rituals of the Pa Co people. Pa Pa people, from the time of crying the birth to the afterlife, must undergo certain rituals according to traditional practices, the life cycle rituals show affection, respect for form and soul. For example, the gods and the gods bestow and pray for the human birth and growth.
Therefore, the ceremonial life cycle of the Pa Co people shows the strictness, order and reverence including: Ceremony of joining new members of the family, after the birth of the umbilical cord; Thanksgiving to the god of Cradle for giving the child a month after the child was born; Ceremony to call for souls when sick, in distress during life; Ordination ceremony when the daughter goes to get married; Marriage ceremony for boys and girls; Joining ceremony when getting married; Ceremony to send souls to heaven and funerals when people die; Re-burial ceremony. In particular, the wedding ceremony is one of the most important rituals in the life cycle ceremony.
For Pa Pa people, when their sons and daughters reach the age of getting married, their husbands, fathers, mothers, cousins begin to transfer traditional gifts such as sons, they need money, gold, silver and cows. , pigs ... girls, such as: Dèng, A loơq mats, rice, specialties of chickens, ducks, fish ... the amount depends on the conditions of each family.
Before the official wedding ceremony, the following ceremonies are performed
Report to parents: This is a ceremony to show the respect of children to parents, to report to parents that their child has made a decision in marriage and to prepare gifts. regarding your marriage.
The wedding: This is a decisive ceremony for the young couple to get married, the two sides of the family get married, the boys bring gifts such as money, gold, silver, agate beads, .. The girl prepared an intimate tray to welcome the groom's family and a plate to accept the invitation. After entering the house, the groom's family debuted by preparing a tray that the groom's family had prepared, in which there were pork, buffalo, cow, goat and wine. The groom's family had to invite the girl's family to use the tray before talking.
In order to show the courtesy, the representative of the girl's family first opened the door to the boys to talk. The groom's family began to talk and gave the bride's family a gift for the bride's family to give the daughter to the groom's family. The bride's family presents the bride with the gift of a bride, this is more valuable than the gift of the lane, the bride's family accepts and reports to the groom's family to prepare mandatory gifts related to customs and traditions of the groom's family. accepted and the two families set the time for the official wedding. After all was done, the girl's house cleaned the tray to welcome the groom's family.
A week after the ceremony, the official wedding was held. For Pa people, the wedding ceremony takes place in two steps: Marriage at the boy's house and the wedding at the girl's house.
Wedding at the groom's house: Early in the morning, before taking the daughter to her husband's house, the bride's family performs the ordination ceremony and reports to the ancestor that the granddaughter has married, hoping that the ancestors bless her health, happiness and Good luck. The bride's family brought some representative gifts such as: Dèng, boiled chicken, wrapped sticky rice to see off the husband's family, the bride put an extra plate called "Pâr lang" to avoid the bad things on the way home. husband parent.
The mother-in-law will be waiting at the gate to welcome her daughter-in-law, and at the same time take off the bride's plate and wear the bride's necklace to receive the gentle daughter-in-law. After the bride's family came into the house, the groom's family conducted the marriage ceremony, from now on, both sides of the family became a family member, helping each other in difficult times, tribulations and representative gifts that the bride's family brought. Always for the boys' family during this ceremony.
After the girl's party enjoyed the party, the groom's family continued to perform the most important ritual on the wedding day, which was Pâr choo and Târ leh (See-off Ceremony, Offering Ceremony and dowry). The progressive Pa Pa no longer challenged the wedding as in the past, the boys gave as many dowries as they took, but the sacrifices related to customs and traditions required the groom's family to take care of it according to the prescribed amount. The weight, the weight depends on the condition of the groom's family.
The dowry handover ceremony to the girl's house is carried out in turn: To give to the bride's parents to give thanks to the birth and upbringing of the wise and wise daughter; To give to the bride's elder brother and sister to pay attention to caring for, visiting and educating her younger sister often when she is sick or healthy; Give them to their owners to give thanks for their worries, material and spiritual support for the housekeeper in marriage.
After the dowry session, the two interpreters responded by singing: The bride's family wishes the interpreter to teach her to be more mature and aware of her daily life with her husband's family. And the boys thank the bride's family for sending the bride, will see her daughter-in-law as her daughter, will always love and support each other.
After finishing the wedding at the groom's house, the bride's family has a time to hold a second wedding ceremony at the bride's house. The first night the daughter-in-law comes to her husband's house, the parents-in-law perform rituals to pray for the couple to be warm, happy, and have healthy children, from now on, the newly-wed couple is allowed to be the main husband and wife. awake. The newly-wed couple sat down to eat a bowl of rice and two boiled chicken eggs, wishing the couple would be happy forever.
Weddings at the girl's house: A week after the wedding at the bride's house, the bride's family holds a wedding at the bride's house. Attending the wedding at the bride's house, the groom's family prepared a decent and dowry to show respect for the bride's family and the pride of the bride's family, so they brought a big pig and accompanied by another dowry.
In this wedding ceremony, the first person to enter the house must be the bride, the bride carries a kitchen chopstick, has just come up the stairs and drops the chopstick down the stairs, meaning that from now on, the daughter and the son-in-law will be allowed to enter parents' houses and want to visit and visit their parents is no longer abstinence. Next, the ceremony took place similar to the wedding of the groom's family.
After the official wedding ceremony, about a year later, the groom's family held a "Pâr sauh mnhnh" ritual with the meaning of having both families go back and forth smoothly, helping each other in the big or daily work. In about 20 years after the wedding, the groom's family again performed the "Pa nâyq plô" (end of dowry) with the meaning that the boys wanted to report to the girl's family. no longer able to help materially anymore, looking forward to understanding. From now on, the material support will be given to sons and daughters-in-law to take care of, while the communist will only help the spiritual side. This is also the last ritual in the wedding of a life and also the most important ritual in the life of the Pa Co.
Explanation on choosing the Ceremony of the Pa Co ethnic community to re-create in the framework of the activities "Family cultural traditions of ethnic groups in the North Central region" held at "Village" - The common house of community of 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Son, Director of the Management Board of Ethnic Villages said that the selection of the traditional wedding ceremony of the Pa Co ethnic group to re-create this time is because of the Pa Pa people in the district. A Luoi has festivals, rituals related to the life cycle are very special. This place is also a land of revolution rich in tradition. Therefore, this choice has a meaning of gratitude and arouse the pride of the land with a long tradition of revolutionary history. This is also an opportunity for people to come to the "Common House" to meet and exchange with other ethnic communities to create cohesion and strengthen the strength of the great unity bloc of ethnic groups.
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