Unique Ba Na wedding ceremony

According to Mr. Dinh Moi, who is currently working at the K'Bang District Cultural, Information and Sports Center and is in charge of the Ba Na artisan group, the wedding ceremony is an important event for the Ba Na people, witnessed and recognized by the entire community, and important people in the village and family.

According to Mr. Dinh Moi, when young men and women of the Ba Na ethnic group reach a certain age to get to know each other, they will meet, get acquainted, and receive the approval of a matchmaker. When the couple wants to live together, the matchmaker will convene a meeting with the assistant matchmaker, the village elder, and the families of both sides to determine if they are of sufficient age, whether the two young people intend to be together for a long time, and to ask for permission from both families to live together.

Unique Ba Na wedding ceremony -0 — *The offerings were prepared before the wedding ceremony. (Photo: TUYET LOAN)*

Once both families agree, the matchmaker and both sides will verify the blood relationship and kinship, and decide whether to hold the ceremony at the bride's or groom's house first. For couples marrying within the same village, they usually get married at the bride's house first, live there for about 2-3 years, have children, then move to the groom's house the following year, and then move back to the bride's house... They move back and forth like this for several years, until the couple is able to build their own house with wood, and then they can live separately. Mr. Dinh Moi explained that the reason for this alternating arrangement is to express gratitude to both sets of parents for raising them. The Ba Na people don't care about wealth or poverty; they only look for someone who is hardworking, healthy, and honest. The Ba Na also maintain a monogamous marriage system.

When the wedding date is set, the entire village prepares together from early morning. Besides rice wine, pork, and chicken, there must be a pair of scarves and a spool of thread... for the couple to exchange on their wedding day. Important wedding gifts include two strings of pork and pig liver, and two traditional scarves from each family, hung on two wooden knives. According to old beliefs, all conflicts between the couple must be resolved before the wedding. If conflicts persist during the wedding, the girl must hang herself with the scarf, and the boy must stab himself with the knife.

The matchmaker hangs sacred objects on the gung pole in the center of the communal house. This is the sacred pole, usually placed in the center of the communal house, serving as a common place of worship for the village or the family (if placed inside the house). The young couple will exchange bracelets; once they have received each other's bracelets, they are not allowed to have any other romantic relationship. The matchmaker recites an oath stating that if the young man abandons the young woman, or vice versa, they must compensate with a buffalo, a hundred kilograms of pig, and 50 jars of wine.

When the groom arrives at the bride's house, the bride's family will prepare a hoe with a candle on it. The groom will step over it first, followed by the bride, and they will use their foot to extinguish the candle, signifying their marriage. Someone will then spread a new mat for the couple to sit on during the ceremony.

The matchmaker recited the oath that if the young man abandoned the girl, or vice versa, he would have to pay compensation of a buffalo, a hundred kilograms of pig, and 50 jars of wine.

After the young couple exchanged rings, officially becoming husband and wife, the villagers drank wine, ate meat, and danced from afternoon until night to celebrate and bless the newlyweds.

A unique aspect of the Ba Na wedding ceremony is that everyone carries candles during the procession from their home to the communal house and from the communal house back to the bride's house. These beeswax candles are prepared by the host family. Everyone tries to keep the candle burning throughout the journey, praying for the bride and groom to live together until they grow old.

A unique aspect of the wedding ceremony is that on their wedding night, the bride and groom are not allowed to sleep but stay awake together to keep their candles burning throughout the night. Whoever goes to sleep first is considered to have a short life. The newlyweds only go to sleep when the rooster crows at dawn. Staying awake together all night symbolizes their lifelong companionship.

The unique and interesting aspects of the reenactment of the Ba Na people's wedding ceremony attracted a large number of tourists at the Vietnam Ethnic Culture and Tourism Village. After the ceremony, many tourists participated in the traditional dance, sampled rice wine, and celebrated with the artisans.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/doc-dao-le-cuoi-nguoi-ba-na-post685868.html