Bài tập lớn môn giao thoa văn hóa Ehou: Analyse the wedding ceremony in Vietnam and in the United Kingdom to show the similarities and the differences between them.

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ĐỀ THI HẾT HỌC PHẦN (BÀI TẬP LỚN)
MƠN: GIAO THOA VĂN HĨA

ASSIGNMENT ON CULTURAL COMMUNICATION (1)

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Topic: Analyse the wedding ceremony in Vietnam and in the United Kingdom to
show the similarities and the differences between them.
"Wedding customs" are an interesting topic when studying the culture of each
country. Wedding is a very important rite in the life of every person, not only for
the bride and groom but for both sides of the family. Therefore, the wedding often
has to comply with some official rites showing the traditional culture of the
community and nation with the hope that after the wedding, the young couple will
have a happy and prosperous life together. Wedding ceremonies in Vietnam and in
the UK have many similarities and differences. The article will bring readers new
insights about wedding customs in these two countries.
First of all, I want to talk about the similarities between Vietnamese and British
wedding customs. In both countries, the wedding ceremony includes an
engagement and a wedding ceremony. Of course, the details and organization of
the two countries are different. Traditional weddings in both Vietnam and the UK
are arranged by parents, the bride and groom often do not know each other until
marriage. Parents often betrothed when the bride and groom are young, growing
up, the bride and groom marry according to the family's arrangement, not out of
love. Nowadays, in modern life, people's autonomy is highly appreciated, so this
custom almost no longer exists.
Second, I want to talk about the main differences between Vietnamese and British

wedding customs.
First, about the ritual:


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ĐỀ THI HẾT HỌC PHẦN (BÀI TẬP LỚN)
MƠN: GIAO THOA VĂN HĨA

(Offerings in the engagement ceremony of Vietnamese people)
In Vietnam, after getting the consent of the girl and the girl's family, the groom and
the groom's family will bring a tray to the girl's house for the engagement
ceremony. The tray of offerings includes areca, betel nut, wine, tobacco,
money...The people carrying the tray are usually unmarried men wearing
traditional ao dai. On the bride's side, the unmarried girls will receive the ceremony
tray from the groom's house. The groom's parents or the groom's family
representative ask for permission for their son to get married. During the
engagement ceremony, the two families discussed carefully the date and time of
the wedding. In Vietnamese culture, this is very important, affecting the married
life of young couples. In contrast, the British do not value the date and time of the
wedding. Before the wedding, the bride and groom organize a party as an
engagement party. Families, relatives, friends of bride and groom join together,
they are witnesses of the coming marriage. The couple then gives reasons for the
party to the guest. They exchange rings and cut the cake.


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ĐỀ THI HẾT HỌC PHẦN (BÀI TẬP LỚN)
MƠN: GIAO THOA VĂN HĨA

About the wedding ceremony, in Vietnam, a few days before the wedding
ceremony, the bride and groom will distribute pink cards and invite their brothers,
relatives and friends to their wedding ceremony. On the wedding day, the groom
and the groom's family will prepare offerings (betel nut, wine, medicine...) to the
bride's house to ask for the bride. After the bride's family agrees, the bride and
groom will burn incense on the ancestral altar and follow the procession to the
groom's house. The procession of the bride is very crowded, can be moved by car,
motorbike or on foot... The bride and groom enter the groom's house at the
predetermined time, together burn incense on the ancestral altar like a report on a
new member of the groom's family. After that, the bride and groom greet the two
cousins, the representative of the bride's family will announce the handover of the
bride to the groom's family, the representative of the groom's family will receive
the bride and declare that the bride and groom are officially husband and wife.
Today, the bride and groom also have the ceremony of exchanging wedding rings,
receiving gifts from both sides of the family and cutting the wedding cake. Finally,
the groom's family will invite relatives and guests to a wedding banquet with
traditional or modern dishes. The bride and groom will come to each table to invite
guests to wine.


TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC MỞ HÀ NỘI

ĐỀ THI HẾT HỌC PHẦN (BÀI TẬP LỚN)
MƠN: GIAO THOA VĂN HĨA

(Wine pouring in a modern wedding in Vietnam)
Unlike the wedding ceremony in Vietnam, in the UK, the wedding ceremony is
opened with a statement of the reason and purpose of the wedding host. The main
body is sometimes divided into the Interrogation and the presentation (either may

come first). The Interrogation specifically refers to the officiant asking the couple
if they come of their own free will to marry; It may also include the officiant
asking the potentially show-stopping question, “If anyone has just cause why these
two may not wed, speak now, or forever hold your peace.” In which the bride and
groom individually affirm their commitment to one another, in response to
questions posed by the officiant; the response usually takes the form of “I do” or “I
will”. In the Western Christian tradition, this is the point at which they are
officially married. The bride and groom will exchange wedding rings and exchange
passionate kisses. In the Western Jewish tradition, this is the point at which they
are officially married.

(Wedding ceremony in the church in England)


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ĐỀ THI HẾT HỌC PHẦN (BÀI TẬP LỚN)
MƠN: GIAO THOA VĂN HĨA

Regarding wedding attire, in Vietnam, in the engagement ceremony, the bride and
groom often wear red traditional ao dai - the color represents warmth, happiness
and luck. At the wedding, Vietnamese brides often choose a white wedding dress
that is very elaborately sewn, the groom often wears a vest.

(Costumes in the engagement ceremony of the Vietnamese people)
In the UK, the bride often wears a wedding dress which is a traditional Western
dress with little fuss.
About the wedding venue, the bride and groom of Vietnam normally choose their
house for the location of their wedding. The reason is that Vietnamese consider
houses are very important to one’s life as a person was born and grew up there.

Thus, they like spending the most important time of their life (wedding) at home.
In these years, Vietnamese have had a tendency of organizing weddings in hotels.
It’s a result of many causes such as their house is not big enough, wealthy people
like luxurious hotels more than homes, etc. In contrast, in the UK, the bride and
groom often choose a wedding venue in a church, restaurant or in the outdoor


TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC MỞ HÀ NỘI

ĐỀ THI HẾT HỌC PHẦN (BÀI TẬP LỚN)
MƠN: GIAO THOA VĂN HĨA

garden,

or

on

the

beach.

(British beach wedding- internet)
Regarding guests, weddings in Vietnam are often very crowded, that is, relatives,
friends, neighbors of the bride and groom. In England, there are not too many
guests, mainly family and people who are very close to the bride and groom.
After the wedding, Vietnamese brides are often brought back to the bride's house
by the groom right after the wedding night, bringing gifts of the rooster, sticky rice,
or a cooked tray for the bride's family to organize an intimate meal. Vietnamese
brides and grooms often start their married life right away without having a

honeymoon (nowadays, with modern life and better conditions, some couples have
organized honeymoon trips in Vietnam domestic or foreign tourist destinations). In
the UK, most bride and groom couples honeymoon right after the wedding
ceremony.


TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC MỞ HÀ NỘI

ĐỀ THI HẾT HỌC PHẦN (BÀI TẬP LỚN)
MƠN: GIAO THOA VĂN HĨA

In short, the wedding customs of the Vietnamese and the British have many
differences, but in general, both countries attach great importance to the wedding
ceremony - an important event marking a new turning point in each person's life.
Wedding customs have partly reflected the characteristics of each country's culture.
Weddings in Vietnam show Asian culture, respect for affection, and respect for
ceremony. Weddings in England are liberal, modern Western-style./.