The unique wedding of the Cao Lan people in Bac Giang

According to the traditional ceremony, when the procession arrives at the gate of the girl's house, she will be "blocked" by a silken silk cloth, and the boy's family must persuade the girl's family to sing the song.

It is the road block, one of the unique ceremony in the wedding of Cao Lan people in Bac Giang. Cao Lan people in Bac Giang are mainly concentrated in 4 districts of Son Dong, Luc Ngan, Luc Nam and Yen The. Like other ethnic groups, the Cao Lan people have a lot of customary customs such as singing a song, rituals in the wedding wedding .... In which the wedding is more special, took place in two Day and night with a lot of procedures and ceremonies such as betel ceremony, lane ceremonies, festivals and finally the procession. Talking about the wedding of the Cao Lan people, the most important and indispensable element is the teacher Cao (teacher worship) and the teacher (matchmaker). According to the conception here, Tao is a magician, a magician, has supernatural power in the spiritual world, has the highest level in watching horoscopes, building houses, burial, Good in the wedding. As the second father, as the second father, the right to decide for the couple to go to marriage. After being introduced, see the family, the family will go to the girl's house to betraise with 8 cherries, 8 leaves of betel and 1 liter of wine. If seven days later did not see the family's betel house means that the girl agreed, the two parties will conduct the ceremony. During the ceremony, the bride's family must have 4 bets, 4 betels placed on the clean bowl brought to the girl's house to talk, and 3 days later can be conducted wedding ceremony. According to the custom of the Cao Lan people, the gifts that the bridegroom must bring to the bridegroom during the wedding procession are usually two roosters, two chicks are made, two thick buns are stuck with five star paper The wings are about 2 kg of glutinous rice, 42 cakes of small shoes and 4 m of white cloth. There are also other ceremonies such as coconut, betel, wine, medicine, candy ... According to the old custom, the first day of the wedding ceremony will be held at the girl's house, the second day at the boy's house. The bridegroom will pick up the bride from the previous evening and will sleep in the house for one night. Before going to the bride's house, the bride's family will make offerings to their relatives. Mr. Cao prepared the meticulous offerings, elaborate, worshiping the ancestors shelter for the young couple, family blessings with more new members and prosperity. It can be said that the most unique feature of the wedding ceremony of the Cao Lan is the ceremony of blocking the house of the girl. When the bride's family welcome to the door, want to enter the house to sing singing. The maid stretches the ribbon on the stairs to the house, so that the boy's house to this gate must stop. When the girl's house first sang, about 4 songs, greetings, then the boy's house responded, usually the lead singer. The content of singing in the wedding is usually the boy asked the girl why there is a ring in the middle of the road, the girl's wedding to challenge the stars. The daughter-in-law replies that the predecessors are far away from here, tired of waiting, resting their feet, drinking water. The opposite boy invited the girl to drink tea, finished drinking wine, then open the line to open the house to drink alcohol ... that is available. We sing like that in about 1 to 2 hours. And then through the sentence, the convicted girl will automatically open the way for the bride to get married. After being put into the house by the girl's house, Tao will scourge the evil spirits, to mausoleum without the family surrounded. When the bride goes home, this ceremony is also carried out. At the party, there will be two officers, the clue will give the family two pieces of pink paper with the family tree, the date of birth of the bridegrooms is written in the letter, the bride's paper also shows the time to step out. door, now enter the house. Two large shoes are now given to the make-up, preparing to dress the bride to 4 m cloth given to the parents by the groom. Before the blessing of the officials of the two Tao family ceremony (seeding) for the bride and groom Today, the Cao Lan wedding in Bac Giang has reduced the number of rituals to less cumbersome. On the other hand, in the past, Cao Lan's bride, when she went to her first husband's house for the first time, was allowed to stay in a closed room not to communicate with others to show the courtesy of the new bride, now the bride was free. travel and launch people. Songs of singing are also missing many, rituals also do not follow the above steps, especially wedding with other ethnic people.