The custom of "foot washing" in Thai weddings

(Baonghean) - This custom only exists in traditional weddings of the Thai people (Tay Muong group), in Western Nghe An. Other Thai groups hardly have it...

To say “traditional wedding” of the Thai people is to say according to the long-standing wedding customs of the Thai Tay Muong people, closely associated with the stilt house and the village. What is still passed down today, even if it has changed a little, all originate from a spiritual story, mainly to educate about the way of life, hidden in the outer shell of “customs”. The custom of “washing the bride and groom’s feet” before getting married also carries this deep meaning…

Before going to pick up the bride, the groom's family, in addition to preparing the gifts, must also prepare the items for the "bride and groom's foot washing" ceremony. This is the first ceremony when bringing the bride home. The items prepared include 2 copper coins, 2 small brass pots, and 2 bamboo tubes containing water.

Washing the bride and groom's feet at the foot of the stairs at a Thai wedding (Tay Muong group). Photo: Cao Dong

When the bride arrives at the foot of the stairs, the bride's family and the groom's family greet each other, each side standing on each side according to the traditional order of welcoming and receiving the bride. The groom's family appoints a matchmaker to greet the guests on behalf of the whole family, then calls on the groom's family to pour wine into cups, toast each person taking the bride a cup, and offer each person in the wedding procession a piece of betel and areca nut. When the bride's family thanks the groom's family, the matchmaker immediately leads the young couple to stand at the foot of the stairs leading to the house. The bride and groom each place a foot on the first step of the stairs, and the matchmaker begins the foot washing ceremony.

In the offering, the matchmaker mentioned everyone who went to take the bride and asked the water god (phi nam) to wash their feet so that they would be clean so that they could follow the bride to her in-laws' house. After the offering of washing their feet, he turned back to the young couple and took two copper pots and placed them under the bride and groom's feet. While reading the offering, he took two water pipes covered with "ta lieu" (woven bamboo strips in the shape of a fox's eye) and poured them onto the insteps of both of their feet. The water flowed down the insteps of both people into the copper pot with a coin underneath. The matchmaker had to pour so that not a single drop of water flowed out of the copper pot. After these two feet, he continued to the other two feet. When both the bride and groom's feet were "cleaned" and the water in both bamboo tubes was gone, the matchmaker immediately called for both the bride and groom to quickly run upstairs. Whoever runs upstairs first will be the head of the family in the future.

Usually, the bride gives way to the groom. When the young couple has climbed the stairs to enter the house, the “foot washing” ceremony is over. The matchmaker follows them upstairs to continue the ceremony. Everyone else then goes upstairs following the matchmaker. The groom’s family must keep two bamboo tubes and two bronze pots, which contain two coins. The two bronze pots containing foot washing water after the wedding will belong to the matchmaker, considered a special gift, and kept to show responsibility to the young couple. The two bronze coins are then divided between the couple, each person keeping one coin as a souvenir and to ward off evil spirits and other bad things. The two foot washing water tubes are placed on the thatched roof at the head of the couple’s bedroom. When they are lost or damaged, they are not allowed to be thrown away or used for other purposes!

The custom of “washing the bride and groom’s feet” of the Thai Tay Muong people has a deep spiritual meaning, meaning it is a mandatory task that cannot be skipped in a traditional wedding. Explaining the meaning of this custom, many shamans in the region, including shaman Mon Lu Van Khuyet (82 years old, from Chau Quang commune, Quy Hop district) said: The reason for the custom of “washing the bride and groom’s feet” before going to the house is because in the past, the Thai Tay Muong people often welcomed the bride at Dan hour or Dan hour – around 4 to 5 am. The entire wedding procession and the bride-taking group walked and walked barefoot. Those from far away brought the bride earlier, those from near later, but all had to walk on the road in the quiet of the night, everyone stepped on the old footprints of many people who had gone before, including the footprints of good people, traitors, demons and other obstacles and evil spirits. Therefore, before entering the house, the feet must be washed thoroughly, especially the bride and groom, otherwise everything as mentioned above will stick to the feet and enter the house, especially ghosts and evil spirits...

Nowadays, the custom of “washing the bride and groom’s feet” is still performed in the weddings of the Thai Tay Muong people in the Western region of Nghe An, although it has been modified a lot. According to our records, the procedure for washing the bride and groom’s feet of the Thai people in the Southwest region of Nghe An is somewhat simpler. While waiting for the wedding procession to return, the groom’s family has prepared a bronze basin containing spring water. In the bronze basin are 2 silver coins. Nowadays, white alloy coins are used. When the bride and groom arrive at the foot of the stairs, the matchmaker or matchmaker is the one who performs the foot washing ceremony for the bride and groom, and then the groom leads the bride up the stairs...

It is known that in the Mong community in Luu Thong village (Luu Kien commune - Tuong Duong), there is also a custom of washing hands and feet before taking the bride into the house. According to our records, at a wedding in 2013 in Luu Thong village, before entering the house, the bride and groom washed their hands and feet. Then, it was the turn of all members of the bridal procession to wash their hands and feet. A person in the bridal procession said: This "procedure" is meant to cleanse the filth encountered on the way from the bride's house to the groom's house.

Thai Tam - Huu Vi