The unique wedding ceremony of the Ve ethnic group.

Reenacting a Ve ethnic group wedding ceremony. Photo: D.N.

In Nam Giang, the Ve people (a branch of the Gie Trieng ethnic group) mainly reside in the two communes of Dac Pre and Dac Pring. Due to the rugged terrain, in the past, the marriage process among the Ve people involved a period of courtship and matchmaking. Once both families approved, preparations for the wedding ceremony began quickly, starting with the preparation of wedding gifts.

According to Mr. Tran Ngoc Hung, Head of the Culture and Information Department of Nam Giang District, the wedding day is also chosen on the full moon. This is considered a "double moon" day, with two halves facing each other, which is very auspicious for marriage. The Ve people believe that holding a wedding on this day will ensure the couple will not be lonely in life. They will live together for life, like two halves of the moon closing to form a circle. "The time spent preparing for the wedding depends on the family's financial situation ," Mr. Hung shared.

To prepare wedding gifts, the groom's family prepares a tray of offerings including pigs, chickens, fish, rice wine, gongs, jars, etc. The bride's family prepares the wedding firewood (this is considered an important task in the preparation of wedding gifts for the Ve people). Therefore, right after the engagement ceremony, Ve girls begin to go with their relatives to collect dry firewood to bring home and chop into smaller pieces. The gifts will then be brought to the groom's house, showing the bride's sincerity on her wedding day.

The Ve people's wedding ceremony is usually held at the groom's house. According to custom, on the morning of the wedding, the matchmaker invites the bride's family to the groom's house for the wedding. Leading the procession is the matchmaker, followed by the bride, her parents, siblings, and relatives, and finally the girls who are responsible for carrying firewood.

When the bride's family arrives at the gate, the groom's family sprinkles clean water on each person as they enter the house, praying for unity, prosperity, good health, and abundance for both families. Afterwards, the groom's family mixes pig's blood with spring water taken from upstream for the bride's family to dip their feet in, symbolizing the warding off of all bad luck.

"Before entering the groom's house, the bride's family must dip their feet into a bamboo tube filled with pig's blood and a fishing net before proceeding to hand over the firewood. The bride's wedding firewood is received by the groom's parents and placed inside the house."

"Afterward, firewood is arranged around the house before the traditional ceremony. They place the wedding offering tray in front of the house, and the matchmaker witnesses the vows of the bride and groom. Then, they both drink from the same cup of wine and perform the ritual of burning chicken intestines and eating a shared ball of rice..." - Mr. Hung said.

According to the customs of the Ve people, at weddings, depending on the groom's family's means, they usually slaughter buffalo, cows, pigs, chickens, etc., to entertain guests. To bless the young couple, relatives from both sides of the family dance together to the rhythm of the ding tut and the sound of drums and gongs, sharing the joy with the community...

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/doc-dao-le-cuoi-cua-dong-bao-ve-3146271.html