The unique wedding customs of the Thai people in Nghe An.

Today, the family of Mr. Vi Van Luu in Hoa Tay hamlet, Thach Giam town (Tuong Duong district) is performing the rituals of the "Xu Van Po Mo" custom. The bride was brought home very early to complete the ancestral worship ceremony. Preparations were completed early in the morning, with all the necessary offerings for the new bride.

According to custom, the offering tray for the wedding ceremony, which involves tying threads around the wrist to welcome the new bride, must include a jar of wine, two bamboo sticks tied with hemp thread, two halves of boiled chicken eggs, the head and other parts of the sacrificial animal, and other dowry items.

According to Mr. Luu, all the ceremonial items are prepared by the bride's parents and the matchmaker. When the bride is brought to the groom's family, a ritual is performed involving tying threads around her wrist, symbolizing wishes for the couple's happiness, children, and a long, happy life together.

From left to right, top to bottom: The matchmaker presents the new bride with earrings; The bride receives her new attire; Tying the threads around the wrists of the bride and groom. Photo: May Huyen

Traditionally, marriage is a momentous event in a person's life, and is therefore highly valued by both the community and families. When sons and daughters reach adulthood and wish to marry, they are free to find partners without parental arrangement. Once the young couple's love is mature enough, the groom's family must take the initiative to ask for the hand of a matchmaker.

The matchmakers here are not just arranged marriages, but rather respected individuals knowledgeable about wedding customs in the village or commune. They are formally appointed by the groom's family to act as matchmakers and are considered like parents, representing the groom's family in discussing and deciding on wedding arrangements for their children. The "Xủ vắn pợ mơ" rituals are also performed by the matchmakers and the shaman. Afterward, an auspicious date and time are chosen for the blessing and peace-seeking ceremony, followed by the tying of threads around the wrists of the young couple.

Mr. Kha Hong Dung, a respected figure in Hoa Tay hamlet, Thach Giam town (Tuong Duong district), said: The "Xu Van Po Mo" ritual offering is different from a regular offering. It must include a jar of wine, two bamboo sticks, horns, two eggs, a pig, and only one hemp thread. This thread binds the husband and wife together before separating, leaving the two threads intertwined. When performing this ritual for a young couple, it must be mentioned that they were husband and wife in heaven, and after being born to earth as a boy and a girl, they continue to love each other.

According to Mr. Dung, the family only goes to the bride's side with wine and offerings to ask for the necessary formalities before bringing the bride home for the "Xủ vắn" ritual. When the tray is set out, the matchmaker takes two eggs and divides them in half for the two to eat. Then, a thread is tied around each wrist, with the right hand crossed, the groom's hand on top, the bride's hand underneath, and the eggs are also arranged in the same way, the groom eating the top piece, the bride eating the bottom piece. After that, they drink rice wine together, with the two straws crossed. The couple must drink all the wine from both horns, leaving neither half nor empty.

According to Thai beliefs, men have seven souls and women have nine souls. When two people live together, their souls are called to live in the same house. Therefore, unlike the wrist-tying ceremony to protect souls and pray for peace, the "Xu Van Po Mo" ceremony has a greater meaning: praying for happiness. In particular, during the wrist-tying ceremony, relatives on the paternal side give meaningful gifts such as skirts, shirts, scarves, belts, blankets, curtains, mattresses, pillows, gauze, or, if more affluent, bracelets, bangles, earrings, gold or silver rings, hairpins, and pendants as dowry, hoping that the couple will be happy and prosperous forever.

The matchmakers divided the egg in half for the young couple. Photo: May Huyen

Mr. Vi Sat Son, Director of the Culture, Sports and Information Center of Tuong Duong District, said: “When the groom's family brings the bride home, they perform the custom of tying threads around the wrists. This is a beautiful tradition, with the meaning of wishing the couple a happy and prosperous marriage with many children. Tuong Duong District has a project to preserve and promote the national cultural identity, which includes the restoration of the wrist-tying ceremony, creating a foundation for the couple to understand their responsibility to build a happy family and a better society.”

With many effective methods, numerous projects to preserve and maintain the traditional values ​​of ethnic minorities have been and are being implemented extensively throughout Tuong Duong district. Accordingly, in line with the new cultural lifestyle, many cumbersome and costly customs in weddings and other ceremonies have been simplified by families. However, customs considered beautiful and deeply meaningful, such as the "Xủ vắn pợ mơ" ritual, tying threads around the wrist, drinking wine together, and some aspects of daily life and spirituality, are still carefully preserved by the people.