Unique wedding rituals of Pa Co ethnic people

The Pa Co ethnic people reside in the A Luoi mountainous district in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue. For them, marriage is the most important act of one’s life.

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When a Pa Co boy likes a girl, he will go to the girl’s house and use a twig to hit her stilt house’s floor. If the girl shares feelings for him, then she will invite him into her house to talk and sing call-and-response melodies through the night.

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These days it is not common for many young people to follow this dating custom, but call-and-response songs have remained an important part of their wedding ceremony.

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Young Pa Co people are free to date, although when it comes to marriage they should abide by their traditional procedures. Young couples have to tell their parents of their wish to get marriage, who will then help them to prepare offerings.

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Before the marriage proposal ceremony, the man’s family has to inform the Heaven God and their deceased ancestors of the event, with the man’s family giving the girl’s family some kind of jewelry to tighten their relationship.

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The wedding ceremony has two parts, including taking the bride out of her house and welcoming her into the groom’s family.

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The bride then brings with her some pieces of brocade cloth.

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When she walks downstairs they will cover her with a headscarf in order to avoid bad things on the way.

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The couple then departs the bride's house and heads to the groom's house.

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At the wedding both families present gifts for the bride, groom, and their relatives. The groom’s family gives silver bracelets, strings of beads, and clothes and meat of four-legged animals such as pigs, cows, and goats. The bride’s family then prepares curtains, brocade items, fish, and poultry.

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When the bride’s delegation arrives at the groom’s house, the groom’s mother welcomes them. She then removes her headscarf and puts on an agate necklace before the couple are invited to enter the house to talk and sing call-and-response songs.

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The groom’s family may sing that they wish their son marries a good girl to help him with housework. The bride’s family then responses with modest words about their daughter. Call-and-response singing sessions also manifest the family’s knowledge and the pride and culture of the Pa Co ethnic group.