The Wedding Ceremony of the Viet (Kinh) in Bach Tru Village, Tien Thang Commune, Me Linh District, Vinh Phuc Province

Abstract

This article focuses on the wedding ceremony culture of the Viet in an ancient village of the Red River Delta region. Many aspects of traditional culture of the Viet in this area have been altered by both socio-economic and cultural factors. These changes can be observed in the organization of the wedding (wedding period, preparation for the wedding ceremony, ceremonial dress, etc.), as well as in the local people’s conception of marriage and their partner (wife or husband). However, the Bach Tru villagers have upheld the traditional stages of the wedding ceremony in the following order: the ceremony of the marriage proposal, the betrothal ceremony, the wedding, and the last ceremony which is taken place on the wedding day’s morrow (which is the newly-weds’ first visit to the bride’s family). The article examines how the maintenance of the traditional wedding stages in this village has contributed to the preservation of other related cultural traditions in the area.