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The San Chi, mainly living in the northwest mountains, is one of the ethnic minority groups in Vietnam. A community of about 7,000 out of 200,000 of San Chi people live in Cao Bang province. The San Chi people mainly do agriculture jobs for their livelihood. They developed their own language and retained traditional customs, among which the San Chi wedding ceremony shows the most impressive features.
The marriage process of the San Chi ethnic group is quite complicated and takes many steps to complete, making their wedding traditions different from other people.
Before the official wedding, the engagement ceremony must be held three times. The first time, the boy's family, with the help of a village official and a matchmaker, goes to the girl to ask permission for a wedding. If the girl's family agrees for the boy to marry their girl, they will make a lavish meal to invite the boy's family.
The second time, the girl's family demands a dowry depending on the economic conditions, understanding, and sympathy between the two families. However, wedding offerings never lack 100 kg of pork and white silver, which is replaced by cash today. If the groom's family accepts the request for the wedding offerings, the third ceremony will be held, which is really the official one.
The engagement ceremony is led by village officers and matchmakers, along with 2 young unmarried men. A pig, a couple of chickens and white rice wine are prepared and brought along. Arriving near the bride's house, the groom's family must stay at an acquaintance's home, and then notify the bride's family that they have prepared all the wedding offerings. If the bride's family says yes, the groom's family brings chicken, and pork to cook and invites a representative from each family in the village to celebrate together.
Normally, the day before the wedding, the family organizes the feast while at the groom's house, wedding offerings are collected in the main room for the shaman to make the blessing.
On the wedding day, when leaving for the bride's home, the village officer is the first person to leave the house, stand under the roof, pray for blessings and raise the umbrella. Then, each member joining in the wedding ceremony passes under his arm, one by one.
According to the San Chi wedding traditions, the souls of those in the wedding procession are saved in that umbrella. On the way, they are not afraid of being harmed by evil spirits and demons. This ritual will be repeated again the next day at the bride's house when the crowd accompanies the bride to the groom's house.
According to the San Chi people's custom, the bride covers her face with a scarf and must leave the house barefoot. She walks slowly to leave two tracks of her feet from the house to outside the village. On the way, when crossing the bridge and stream, the bride must leave a coin or a few grains of rice. After the procession, the ancestor worship ceremony will lead and at the same time, the new bride will receive a welcome meal. Then, an unmarried girl from the village will place a silver bracelet on the bride's hand. After the meal, the matchmaker prepares the offerings for worship. On the altar, there is a scarf, an indigo shirt or cloth, two cups of wine, two silver rings and a plate of pork liver.
The bridesmaids hold umbrellas to cover the bride as they walk to the groom's house
The San Chi ethnic people call it the red silk ceremony. The matchmaker prays, does the incantation and swings two cups of wine back and forth with both hands, sticks his hands under the shirt to harmonize yin and yang. Then cross two cups of wine so that the bride and groom can drink them together, eating with a piece of boiled liver on the plate. The bride and groom will receive a ring and a scarf or indigo cloth.
The next day, the bride returns to her parents' home. Two days later, the groom, accompanied by his younger sister or cousin, takes the gift to his wife's family. On the third day, the bride and groom bring gifts to the matchmakers. They also consider it a ceremony since according to San Chi wedding tradition, after marriage, the groom considers the matchmakers as his second parents. Since then, if the matchmakers pass away, the couple will come to worship and mourn as a family member.
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