HANOI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCE AND HUMANITY
Faculty of Oriental Studies
Southeast Asian Studies
--------
FINAL ESSAY
Subject: Introduction to Southeast Asian
TOPIC: TRADITONAL WEDDING CHARACTERISTICS
OF LAOS IN COMPARISON WITH VIETNAM
Student’sname :
Luu Thi Thu Ha
Class
:
QH-2021-X-ĐNA
Student code
:
21030540
Teacher
:
Ph.D Ho Thi Thanh
ABSTRACT
Vietnam and Laos are two close neighbours, having a special relationship
over the centuries. During the course of history, the two countries have had
economic, political and cultural exchanges between the two nations, especially in
terms of culture. In the cultural traditions of each ethnic group, marriage
ceremonies are always highly valued and focused because it is an important issue
of a person's life. Therefore, this report will go into depth to learn, introduce and
compare the characteristics of traditional weddings between Vietnam and Laos.
Therefore, this report uses the method of theoretical research, meta-analysis,
information collection and comparison. From there, it gives an overview of
traditional cultural characteristics of Vietnam and Laos, in order to improve
understanding of cultures in the region.
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INTRODUCTION
I. Reason for choosing the topic
Vietnam and Laos are two neighboring countries with friendly relations that
have been attached for many centuries. This special bond has been forged over
generations and tested through hardship to become a wonderful and inseparable
friendship. In order to promote cooperation between the two countries, mutual
understanding is essential, especially in terms of culture. Studying Lao culture can
not help but mention wedding customs - a rich ritual of the Lao people. Along with
time and the development of society, many wedding customs of the Lao people
have also changed. Weddings are becoming more civilized and simpler, but they
do not lose the traditional customs of the nation. It is the preservation of those
traditional elements that have created a unique and very typical culture of the
Laotian. As a student majoring in Southeast Asian Studies, learning about the
traditional cultures of Southeast Asian countries is both a passion and part of my
responsibility to improve my knowledge and capital. That's why I chose the issue:
"Traditonal wedding of Laos in comparison with Vietnam" - as the topic of my
essay.
II. History and scope of research
Related to traditional wedding Vietnam, to date there have been many
studies, typically can mention as the book "Đám cưới người Việt xưa và nay"(Bui
Xuan My, Publishing Culture Information, 2014); “Tìm về bản sắc văn hóa Việt
Nam” (Tran Ngoc Them, Ho Chi Minh City Publishing House, 1997); “Văn hóa
Việt Nam truyền thống: Một góc nhìn” (Nguyen Thua Hy, Information and
Communication Publishing House, 2011). In these works, the characteristics of
traditional Vietnamese weddings have been highlighted. About Laos wedding can
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be mentioned as: "Siho and Naga Laos Textiles" ( Edeltraud Tagwerker, Peter
Lang International Science Publishing House). These articles and studies have
provided insights and the traditional cultural beauties of both countries. However,
these articles and studies have not compared and contrasted the traditional cultural
features. Therefore, this report aims to highlight the similarities as well as the
unique differences, imbued with the national identity of Vietnam and Laos.
III. Methodology
The focus of the essay is to learn, introduce and compare the traditional
wedding characteristics of Vietnam - Laos. So I used methods of theoretical
research, meta-analysis, gathering information, comparative to overview about the
cultural characteristics of traditional Vietnam and Laos.
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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION
2
I. Reason for choosing the topic
2
II. History and scope of research
2
III. Methodology
3
CONTENTS
4
CHAPTER 1: THE ORIGIN OF WEDDING ORGANIZATION
4
CHAPTER 2: COMPARING THE TRADIONAL WEDDING CHARACTERISTIC OF
LAOS AND VIETNAM
5
I. The concept of the male-female relationship in the ancient times
5
II. The rituals in the traditional wedding
6
CONCLUSION
10
REFERENCES
11
4
CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1
THE ORIGIN OF WEDDING ORGANIZATION
Many ethnographic documents and folklore studies have proven that
marriage and family have existed for a long time, but marriage appeared quite late.
During the period of human marriage, according to the norms of society at that
time, when men and women reached adulthood, they had the right to freely mate.
Since human history turned to the period of conjugal marriage, there have been
many changes, at this time the spiritual life of people has become more and more
perfect, and the love relationship between man and woman has begun to flourish.
Volunteering is the foundation of your relationship. With this form of marriage, as
long as two people agree, they can live together, on the contrary, if one of them
feels unsatisfied, they can break up. It is because of this instability that a person
can get married many times in his life, which is why a wedding cannot be born.
It can be estimated that: marriage was born in the transitional period from
matriarchy to patriarchy. With the steady consolidation of the monogamous form
of marriage, the forms of marriage become more and more complex.
Centuries have passed, along with the development of production methods,
young men and women have begun to attach importance to marriage and
consciously wish that the love between husband and wife will last forever.
Therefore, someone wants to use some form to inform everyone, thereby creating
conditions for the wedding to be born.
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CHAPTER 2
COMPARING THE TRADITIONAL WEDDING
CHARACTERISTIC OF LAOS AND VIETNAM
I. The concept of the male-female relationship in the ancient times
1. Laos people's concept of the male and female relationship
Vietnamese people think that contact between boys andgirls are like “fire
and straw”, hence the saying "Fire near straw is also good for a long timesharp".
But the Lao people thinkconcept of male and female issues like “sand and water”,
sand and water naturally attract each otherthrough contact and communication. Lao
boys and girls get to know each other easily and openly. Therefore, Lao girls aged
sixteen and over are free to receive their boyfriends at home, can go with their
boyfriends to festivals, fairs…
2. The Vietnamese people's concept of the male and female relationship
Vietnam is strongly influenced by Chinese culture, especially during more
than 1000 years of Northern domination, so the concept of "Men and women are
not born" is a familiar saying to indicate the behavior of men and women.
according to the concept of Confucianism. For the ancient Vietnamese, if a man or
a woman unintentionally touched the skin of the opposite sex, it was considered an
improper gesture. From a young age, family and society soon formed a gender gap
for children.
Sub - Conclusion:
Wedding is one of the important rituals of every culture. Through the wedding
rituals, it partly shows the concept and unique characteristics of each ethnic group.
The foundation of marriage is the relationship between a man and a woman. The
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relationship between men and women in Vietnam is quite strict because
Vietnamese culture is strongly influenced by Chinese culture and feudal rituals. In
contrast to Laos, it can be seen that the status of women has long been respected.
Each relationship between men and women is likened to "Sand and Water",
sticking together.
II. The rituals in the traditional wedding
1.Traditional Laos wedding rituals
1.1. News shooting ceremony
Similar to the ceremony of proposal ceremory in Vietnam, the boy's parents
asked his grandparents to bring the news to him the girl's parents about her
intentions. And though she's free and open, Laotian girl is also shy when her
parentsdirectly ask if I "accept" or "no.
1.2. Engagement ceremony
After the two families meet and agree on the wedding of the young couple, the
parents and families of the two sides will discuss and agree on the conditions, how
to organize and more importantly, choose an auspicious date good to celebrate
marriage.
In the past, the interrogation ceremony was considered an important ceremony
in marriage, but according to the ritual, the groom's family had to prepare a number
of gifts, including: Kha Khuon fee (offering to God Hoang, where the bride's
family is staying). Kha Doong (wedding gift) is considered as a dowry to
compensate for the effort of raising the girl's family. It will be decided by the
bride's family.
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1.3. Wedding ceremony
Lao people have the custom of holding weddings from October to March
according to the Laos calendar. Since that time is the dry season, it is very
convenient for the organization and implementation of the wedding ceremony
activities and avoids the rainy season months. Also according to the Buddhist
calendar, Lao people abstain from getting married in the months of July, August,
and September because this time is considered the "month of Buddha". Everyone is
vegetarian and abstains from killing, drinking alcohol, holding festivals… A
traditional Laotian wedding is usually held at the bride's house.
Weddings are usually held in one day, including the following procedures:
1.3.1. Groom procession
Leading the groom's family to the bride's house is the groom in traditional
Laos costumes. The special thing is that on the way there is always a person,
usually the groom's best friend, who will walk beside him holding an umbrella.
This image creates a connection with the ancient kings who always used umbrellas
to cover the road, to increase the solemnity of the groom on the wedding day.
1.3.2. Wrist threading ceremony
Performing the Sukhoan ceremony to pray for the souls of "good ghosts" so
that it always protects, brings good luck to people and prevents the encroachment
of "evil ghosts". The ritual is usually held in the most solemn place in the house,
usually the living room.
The celebrant took a white thread just long enough, tied one end to the groom's
wrist, the other end tied to the bride's wrist, and signalled for the two of them to
pull their hands and cut them in half.
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1.3.3. Wedding celebration
The celebratory party will be held that evening at the bride's home or outside
the hotel and usually lasts about four to five hours. Regardless of whether they
arrive early or at the invited time, the guests will wait until the time of the event
before starting to eat (the host will welcome guests in about 1 hour from the time
indicated in the invitation).
2. Traditional Vietnamese wedding rituals
2.1. Proposal ceremory
Proposal ceremony, also known as Face - Seeing Ceremony. After thoroughly
researching herself and the girl's family background, considering and deciding, the
groom's family asked a matchmaker to come to the girl's house to ask questions.
This is the first ceremony of the groom's family bringing betel nut to the girl's
house to ask for the girl's name. This ceremony aims to officially raise the issue of
the marriage relationship of two families. This is a job that the ancients attach great
importance to, as well as considering whether the families of both sides have a
"registration subject or not".
2.2. Engagement ceremony
This is a ceremony in the traditional marriage customs of the Vietnamese
people, which is official to go to the wedding, to announce the betrothal between
the two families. During the wedding ceremony, the groom's family brings gifts to
the bride's house. The bride's family receives the ceremony, that is, the main name
recognizes the bride's marriage to the boy's family.
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In addition, the quality and quantity can be increased or decreased based on
the family's economy. The number can be even or odd but will usually be even
with the implication of a pair having a pair. The wedding offering is also to show
the groom's family's gratitude for the bride's care.
2.3.Wedding Ceremory
Wedding ceremony is the most important, including many different small
ceremonies, especially the custom of taking a bride. The wedding day must be a
good day. Before that, a representative of the groom's family went to the bride's
house to ask for a bride, bringing some gifts. In a wedding, the bride has a
bridesmaid and the groom has a groomsman. According to traditional custom, the
mother of the bride must stay at home and hide her tears because tears are a
symbol of sadness. Relatives and friends will escort the bride to her husband's
house, which is also a way to protect and ward off evil spirits. Finally, it is
indispensable to have a lavish feast to entertain relatives and neighbours.
Sub-conclusion:
Culture is inherently diverse, each region, country, and ethnic group has its
own unique characteristics that make up its own tradition. cultural relativity.
Wedding is a typical cultural beauty of all countries. Within the framework of this
thesis, the writer wants to compare to see the similarities and differences in the
concept, customs, and traditional wedding organization forms in Vietnam and
Laos.
The first obvious common point is the form of three rituals, including one
auxiliary ceremony and two main ceremonies. When conducting rituals, families
must choose auspicious days and months. In addition, there are unique
characteristics of each country. In Vietnam, there is a custom of taking a bride, but
in Laos, it is a custom to bring a bridegroom. Entering the modern era, under the
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influence of Westernization, the rituals have also become simpler, but both
countries still retain their unique cultural beauties and bring their own unique
culture bold national identity.
CONCLUSION
Cultlure is an important factor, the glue that binds economic - political social relations, creating the shape and identity of each nation. Culture has existed
along with human development. That is why to learn about any country or people
in the world, we must first come to culture.
Learning about traditional weddings placed in the comparison between
Vietnam and Laos, we can see the typical characteristics of each country so that we
can understand more and love more about each land. As two ethnic brothers for
many generations, Vietnam and Laos have acquired and exchanged cultures with
each other and with major civilizations. However, each ethnic group still retains its
rich cultural identity. Learning about the traditional wedding shows that it is not
only a big day for the couple, but also the whole family and clan, reflecting the
very unique lifestyles of each region. Scientific research, clear research and
analysis, I hope this report will help give a more general overview, and also
contribute to building the spirit of preserving the national identity in each
individual, especially It is for a country that follows the agrarian calendar that
respects traditional culture like Vietnam and Laos in the era of modernization
where traditional cultural values are in danger of disappearing.
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REFERENCES
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3. Kalman, Bobbie, 2002, “Vietnam: Culture”, Crabtree publishing
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Publishing House
5. Mansfield, Stephen, Magdalene Koh, and Debbie Nevins , 2017, “Laos”,
Cavendish Square Publishing, LLC
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by Phout Simmalavong: New Delhi, Palm Leaf Publications, 2011, 247 pp., Rs.
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11. Rakow, Meg Regina, 1992 “Laos and Laotians”, Center for Southeast Asian
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