A Ba Na wedding: Keeping the candle burning for eternal love

The entrance to the Ba Na ethnic village at the Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism in Dong Mo, Son Tay town, on the outskirts of Hanoi. On February 12, villagers recreated a typical wedding ceremony to introduce their traditional culture. A few members of the group from Gia Lai province represent their community at the national village, which brought together 15 ethnic minority groups during the 2015 – 2020 period. The Ba Na is a big ethnic group in Vietnam’s Central Highlands region. They are called by many names: the Bo Nam, Roh, Kon Kde, Ala Kong, and Kpang Kong; and their language belongs to Southeast Asia’s Mon-Khmer language family. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

From early morning, the women are up to prepare many jars of the popular local liquor Can, to serve in the wedding ceremony. The liquor is indigenous to several ethnic groups in Vietnam, in areas such as the Northwest and Central Highlands regions. It is made of fermented glutinous rice mixed with many kinds of herbs (including leaves and roots) from the forests. The types and amount of herbs added differ according to ethnic groups and regions. This mixture is stored in a large earthenware jar and left to ferment for at least a month. The rice wine strength is typically 15 to 25 percent alcohol by volume. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Ba Na boys and girls that come of age are free to choose their partners for life. Dinh Moi, an officer at the Culture and Information Center of K'Bang district in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai, said that to the ethnic group, rich or poor is not important. What they truly need is to find an honest, diligent and healthy husband or wife. They maintain a monogamous marriage, he added. This type of marriage has long been a feature of the Ba Na culture, meaning that everyone respects marital fidelity. There are punishments and compensation for those who decide to leave their husbands or wives. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Must-have items for a Ba Na wedding. In addition to Can wine, pork, and chicken, it is necessary to have a pair of shawls and rolls of thread for the couple to exchange on their wedding day. A Ba Na couple wanting to get married needs to find a matchmaker. After confirming that the pair are together voluntarily and share no kinship, the matchmaker approves their marriage. Then, their wedding is witnessed by people in their village. Wedding ceremonies of the ethnic community are often held at the end of the year – a time when everything in local houses is in full supply, from rice to cattle and poultry. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

The matchmaker prepares to hang sacred objects on a special Gung (gol) pillar. The day of a full moon is often chosen for a wedding, as this is seen as an auspicious beginning. Taking place in a Rong house – a community house used as a meeting place for villagers in the Central Highlands, the ceremony is a festival for the entire village. During the event, in the presence of two families, the couple takes turns exchanging rings (made from aluminium or copper) with each other. According to tradition, after the ring-giving ceremony, the groom and bride are not allowed to be involved in another relationship of love. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Important items in a wedding ceremony are two strings of pork and pork liver, and two traditional shawls from both families. They are hung on two wooden knives. In the past, if a couple disagreed during the ceremony, the bride had to hang herself using the shawl, while the groom had to stab himself with the knife. Monogamous marriage has long been a feature of the Ba Na culture. This means that everyone respects marital fidelity. The ethnic group has also maintained several matriarchal practices in family and clan relations and marriage. They live in long-stilt houses with many rooms for the extended family. In recent years, they’ve begun to prefer smaller family structures and smaller stilt houses. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

At the wedding ceremony, the matchmaker reads out loud an oath, that if the groom leaves the bride or vice versa, he or she will have to make a compensation of 50 jars of rice wine, a hundred kilos of pork, and a buffalo. These are part of the local monogamous marriage tradition that highly values fidelity. Ba Na boys and girls that come of age are free to choose their partners for life. Rich or poor does not matter; what is more important is finding an honest, diligent and healthy husband or wife. During their wedding, they exchange rings to affirm their faithfulness to each other. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

A special feature of a Ba Na wedding is that attendees bring with them candles that they try to keep burning throughout the ceremony, a sign of the couple’s everlasting love. Taking place in a Rong house – a community house used as a meeting place for villagers in the Central Highlands, the ceremony is a festival for the entire village. On the wedding night, the bride and groom also stay up to keep their fire. As whoever goes to bed first is deemed to face bad luck, the couple stays awake until the rooster crows in the morning before going to sleep together. Staying up all night together also symbolises being together until the end of life. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

A beeswax candle on a Gung (gol) pillar is lit throughout the wedding ceremony as a symbol of everlasting love. Gung or gol pillars are placed in the middle of the village ground for notable events. In addition to the special beeswax candle, villagers coming to the wedding bring their own candles to show their best wishes for the newlyweds. The bride and groom also have their own fire that they stay up to keep on the wedding night. As whoever goes to bed first is deemed to face bad luck, the couple stays awake until the early morning before going to sleep together. Staying up all night together symbolises being together until the end of life. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

The first part of the wedding is at the bride's house, with the main ceremony taking place at the communal house where the villagers drink Can wine together to celebrate the marriage. The liquor is indigenous to several ethnic groups in Vietnam, in areas such as the Northwest and Central Highlands regions. It is made of fermented glutinous rice mixed with many kinds of herbs (including leaves and roots) from the local forests. The types and amount of herbs added differ according to ethnic groups and regions. This mixture is stored in a large earthenware jar and left to go under further fermentation for at least one month. The rice wine strength is typically 15 to 25 percent alcohol by volume. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Boys and girls in the village dance together to bless the newlyweds. They are dancing to the gongs, with their dances lasting from the afternoon to evening. Drinking Can wine is also part of the wedding activity, as the wine has been carefully prepared from early morning. The liquor is made of fermented glutinous rice mixed with many kinds of herbs (including leaves and roots) from the local forests. It is generally consumed by placing long, slender cane tubes in the jar, through which the wine is drunk. Often two or more people, and sometimes up to ten or more, will drink together from the same jug, each using a separate tube. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Village boys make powerful gong and drum beats for girls to dance in graceful rings. Villagers witness the bride and groom tie the knot, and their wedding becomes a cheerful festival for the entire village. The first part of the wedding is at the bride's house, with the main ceremony taking place at the communal house where the villagers drink Can wine together as a recognition of this marriage. After the wedding, the couple stays at the bride's house for two years, before moving to the groom's house for another two years. They repeat the same sequence to show gratitude to both parents. When the procedure is over, the couple begin building their own house. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Villagers’ dances at weddings last from the afternoon to the evening, showing their happiness and blessing the newlyweds. They dance together to the sound of gong. The Ba Na ethnic group has developed rich cultural values in which gong performances are the centre of many traditional festivals. A gong is not only a holy symbol but also a priceless asset to the community. As part of their traditions, they play the gong to lighten the atmosphere and cheer people up. Ba Na people boast different varieties of musical instruments, including string, wind, and percussion ones. They also have many dances for worshipping and entertainment. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

A wedding is an important ritual in the life of a Ba Na person and of his or her community. The ethnic group maintains a monogamous marriage, meaning that everyone respects marital fidelity. Ba Na boys and girls that come of age are free to choose their partners for life. To get married, they need to find a matchmaker. After confirming that the pair are together voluntarily and share no kinship, the matchmaker approves their marriage. Then, their wedding is witnessed by people in their village. The wedding is often held on a day of a full moon at the end of the year – a time when everything in local houses is in full supply, from rice to cattle and poultry. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

People dance around the Gung (gol) pillar. Entire wedding reenactments take place at the Ba Na village within the Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism, in Son Tay town's Dong Mo, on the outskirts of Hanoi. The Ba Na is a big ethnic group in Vietnam’s Central Highlands region and their language belongs to Southeast Asia’s Mon-Khmer language family. A few members of the group from Gia Lai province represent their community at the national village, which brought together 15 ethnic minority groups during the 2015 – 2020 period. The national village is a popular destination for those who want to learn more about ethnic cultures and the number of visitors doubled from 250,000 in 2015 to 500,000 in 2019. (Photo: VietnamPlus)