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Topic: Elucidation on the traditional customs of Vietnam
I. Detailed outline
II. Sample essay
Selectively chosen exemplary essay on the traditional attire of Vietnam
I. Outline Elucidation on the traditional customs of Vietnam (Standard)
(Vietnamese wedding customs)
1. Introduction:
- Introduction to Vietnamese wedding customs.
2. Body:
a. Wedding customs in the past:
- Ancient wedding ceremonies comprised 6 main rituals:
+ Throwing the thái (proposal): The groom's family brings a pair of betel nut trees to the bride's house to express their interest.
+ Seeking the name: The groom's family invites a matchmaker to the bride's house to inquire about her name, date, and time of birth.
+ Throwing the sand: Informing the bride's family that the couple's horoscopes match and the marriage proposal can proceed.
+ Throwing the coins: The groom's family brings betrothal gifts to the bride's house to confirm the marriage agreement.
+ Choosing the auspicious day: Selecting an auspicious date to bring the bride home.
+ Welcoming the bride: The groom's family brings gifts to escort the bride to the groom's house for the ancestral ceremony, completing the wedding on a predetermined auspicious date and time.
b. Wedding customs in modern life:
- Rituals such as proposing, seeking the name, throwing the sand, and choosing the auspicious day are often simplified, only conducted internally between the two families.
* Engagement Ceremony: The groom's family brings betel leaves and areca nuts, along with tea and wine, to the bride's house to discuss and ask for the girl's hand in marriage for their son.
* Engagement Ceremony (also known as Proposal or Betrothal Ceremony):
- Announce the joyful occasion to everyone, as well as the fact that the girl has found her place and set a propitious date to enter her husband's home.
- Both the ceremony and the feast are held at the bride's house.
- Attire: The bride wears a meticulously designed ao dai with delicate lace and silk materials in white or red, while the groom wears a classy, elegant suit.
- Gifts from the groom's family: Betel leaves and areca nuts, fine wine, tea, assorted cakes, traditional cakes, fresh fruits, candies, and preserved lotus seeds are arranged in order in red embroidered dragon phoenix trays.
- At the auspicious hour, the groom's family brings the gifts to the bride's house, where the bride's family sends someone to welcome them, and both sides exchange gifts.
- The bride and groom offer incense and pay respects to the ancestors at the bride's house, followed by the exchange of engagement rings.
- The couple then sits down to discuss the wedding date and procession.
* Wedding Ceremony:
- Attire: The bride may choose between a Western-style wedding dress or a traditional ao dai. The groom remains faithful to a classy, elegant suit.
* Bride's Welcome Ceremony:
- The groom's family forms a procession, with the elders leading, followed by the groom and the bearer of gifts.
- Upon arrival at the bride's house, a representative from the groom's family lights incense at the ancestral altar, followed by the bride and groom, who also pay respects. They pray for blessings to become a married couple in front of both families.
- The newlyweds offer betel leaves and areca nuts to invite guests from both sides, and the bride's and groom's parents and relatives take turns presenting gifts to the bride and groom.
- After all rituals and ceremonies, the groom's family requests to escort the bride home.
* Wedding Reception:
- Purpose: To announce the joyous occasion to the community, informing neighbors and relatives about the marriage of the bride and groom, demonstrating their bond with the community.
- During the reception, the parents of the bride and groom will give speeches, and the bride and groom will exchange wedding rings before inviting guests to join the celebration.
- Return Visit: After 2 or 4 days of staying at the groom's house, the newlyweds will return to the bride's ancestral home, bringing offerings to worship the ancestors. The bride's family will also prepare a meal to welcome the newlyweds back after their honeymoon.
3. Conclusion:
Express feelings.
II. Exemplary Essay Elucidation on the traditional customs of Vietnam (Standard)
Having endured over four millennia of civilization, with the depth and evolution of Vietnamese history, we have formed and preserved many beautiful traditional customs. These are highlights, distinctive features that contribute to a rich national cultural identity. One of these enduring traditions of the Vietnamese people is the wedding customs. Despite modern simplifications to reduce costs and ceremonial complexity, it still retains the core traditional values, reflecting the sanctity of formal marital relationships.
It can be said that, after over a thousand years of Chinese influence during the Northern domination period, Vietnamese wedding customs were somewhat affected by Chinese culture. However, this was a process of selection, learning, and incorporating the good cultural values of the neighboring country. Through flexibility and creativity, the Vietnamese have created their own unique traditional customs. Ancient weddings consisted of 6 main rituals: Throwing the thái, where the groom's family brings a pair of betel nut trees to express their interest in the bride of the household; next is seeking the name, where the groom's family invites a matchmaker to the bride's house to inquire about her name, date, and time of birth to check compatibility. After comparing the horoscopes of the couple, if deemed suitable, the groom's family performs the sand throwing ceremony, informing the bride's family that the couple's horoscopes match and the marriage proposal can proceed. Equally important is the coin throwing ceremony, also known as the betrothal ceremony, where the groom's family brings betrothal gifts to the bride's house to confirm the marriage agreement, evidence of the promise to marry the bride of this household. Next, the groom's family conducts the auspicious day ceremony, choosing an auspicious date to bring the bride home. Finally, the most important is the welcoming ceremony, where the groom's family brings gifts to escort the bride to the groom's house for the ancestral ceremony, completing the wedding on a predetermined auspicious date and time.
The above rituals are mandatory tasks in a traditional Vietnamese wedding ceremony. However, in modern times, to reduce the hassle and expenses for both families and alleviate pressure on the newlyweds, wedding ceremonies have been simplified and streamlined. Rituals such as proposing, seeking the name, throwing the sand, and choosing the auspicious day are often simplified, only conducted internally between the two families in a few meetings, and large ceremonies are not organized. Moreover, the names of these rituals have also been changed to suit Vietnamese customs. To proceed with a marriage that is agreeable to both families, first, one would perform the Engagement Ceremony, where the groom's family brings betel leaves and areca nuts, along with tea and wine, to the bride's house to discuss and ask for the girl's hand in marriage for their son. Subsequently, if conditions permit, the groom's family will organize the Engagement Ceremony (also known as Proposal or Betrothal Ceremony) to announce the joyful occasion to everyone, as well as the fact that the girl has found her place and set a propitious date to enter her husband's home.
Typically, the Engagement Ceremony is organized in an intimate style between the two families, as a friendly gathering to prepare for the upcoming wedding. Particularly, both the ceremony and the feast are held at the bride's house. The engagement attire of the bride is usually an exquisitely designed ao dai with delicate lace and silk materials in white or red, symbolizing a cheerful, happy, and fortunate atmosphere. The groom wears a classy, elegant suit, demonstrating maturity and readiness to care for his future wife.
During the Engagement Ceremony, the groom's family is responsible for preparing the betrothal gifts to bring to the bride's house, including betel nuts, fine wine, tea, hoi cake, bride and groom cake, fresh fruits, candy, and preserved fruits,... arranged in order in red embroidered dragon and phoenix fabric-covered trays. At the auspicious hour, the groom's family brings the gifts to the bride's house, where the bride's family will send someone to welcome them, and both sides exchange gifts. After obtaining the consent of the bride's family, the groom will escort the bride out to greet both families. Then, both will light incense to worship the ancestors at the bride's house and proceed to exchange engagement rings, symbolizing their union and formal entry into the same household as newlyweds. Next, the couple will sit down together to discuss the wedding date, the bride's procession, as well as the necessary procedures. During this time, the bride will accompany the groom to invite both families for the engagement, take commemorative photos, and conclude by reciprocating gifts for the groom's family.
After the Engagement Ceremony comes the wedding day. The bride wakes up early, meticulously applies makeup, dresses in the most beautiful wedding gown, and awaits the groom's arrival. On this day, the attire of the bride and groom is similar to that of the Engagement Ceremony, with any differences being that the bride may carry a bouquet and her wedding dress will be more glamorous than on the engagement day. The bride can choose between a Western-style wedding gown or a traditional ao dai, while the groom remains faithful to a classy, elegant suit, usually in preferred colors such as black, gray, or white. Before the bride's arrival, representatives from the groom's family will bring wine and betel nuts to ask for the bride's hand, notifying the bride's family in advance of the arrival of the bridal party for preparation.
During the Bridal Welcome Ceremony, the groom's family will proceed in a two-line formation, with the elders leading, followed by the groom, and finally the person carrying the betrothal gifts. Upon arrival at the bride's house, the groom's representative will light incense at the family altar to announce the groom's arrival to fetch the bride. Then, the bride and groom will each light incense and pay respects to the ancestors to seek their blessings on the marriage, witnessed by both families. Following this, the newlyweds will offer betel nuts to invite both families, and the parents of the bride and groom, as well as relatives, will each present gifts to the bride and groom. Traditional gifts often include gold bracelets, rings, and earrings, symbolizing wealth accumulation for the newlywed couple, providing a solid foundation for their new life together. After all the rituals and ceremonies, the groom's family will proceed to bring the bride home, with the bride's family pre-selecting some young girls as bridesmaids to accompany the bride to her husband's house, to bring luck to the newlyweds' new life. Following the bridal procession is the wedding banquet, held beforehand to announce the joyous occasion to the community, neighbors, and relatives, affirming the success of a significant event in the lives of both families. During the wedding ceremony, before the banquet, the parents of the bride and groom will deliver a few words of thanks, entrusting their children. The bride and groom will exchange wedding rings, affirming their marital relationship. Finally, the bride and groom will together invite the guests to the banquet. After the wedding, in some places, there is a custom called 'Back to Visit.' Usually, after 2 or 4 days, the bride returns to her husband's house, and the couple together returns to their grandparents' house, bringing offerings to worship the ancestors of the bride's family. At the same time, the grandparents also prepare a meal to welcome the newlyweds after their honeymoon.
It can be said that Vietnamese wedding customs, from traditional to modern, all have rare distinctive features, preserving and promoting the beautiful traditional values in the national culture. At the same time, it also demonstrates the sanctity and bond in marital relationships, as a wedding involves thorough and meticulous preparation from both families, going through many rituals before the bride and groom officially enter the same household, building a new home in happiness and under the witness of everyone. Today's society encourages simple, streamlined wedding ceremonies to avoid waste. However, this does not mean that we should forget the good traditional customs of the nation. We need to be flexible and creative to both preserve the traditional beauty and keep up with the trends of the times.
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Alongside the traditional wedding customs of our people, there are many other traditional beauties that need to be preserved and promoted. To explore this issue, I invite you to refer to the following articles: Elucidation on a traditional craft village, Elucidation on a traditional ethnic festival, Elucidation on traditional Tet customs, Elucidation on a traditional craft village, a specialty product, a culinary cultural trait.
