A Wedding Ceremony of the Back Lo Lo in Lung Cu Commune, Dong Van District, Ha Giang Province

Abstract

Based on the fieldwork data colleted in Lung Cu commune, Dong Van district, Ha Giang province, the author describes several procedures and rituals relating to the traditional marriage customs of the Black Lo Lo. The main characteristics of the Lo Lo marriage include: a freedom of choice is given to find their spouse; the families of the bride and groom need two male matchmakers and two female matchmakers for each family (for a total of 8 matchmakers); a traditional clarinet group must be joined in with the groom’s kin to meet the bride and escort her home; before entering into the bride’s house, the groom’s kin must successfully pass a singing contest with the bride’s relatives. The maternal uncle plays an important role in organizing the wedding for his nieces and nephews. The Tay Muong people organize ancestor worship in both the bride and groom’s residence in order to introduce the new family member to their ancestors respectively.