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The ceremony begins from the moment the bride enters the bridegroom’s house. No matter which ethnic group the bride is from, when marrying a bridegroom from the Dao Lo Gang, the bride must follow the bridegroom’s traditional customs. |
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An old woman is on hand to guide the bride in following the various customs of the bridegroom. |
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The bride must hide her face in order to ensure that no stranger can see her. |
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A shaman gets preparations underway for the main rituals ahead of the wedding ceremony. |
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Before the bride can enter the bridegroom’s house, the shaman asks her to step over a knife and a bowl of water placed at the main door. |
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The bowl of water and the knife are placed in order to halt evil spirits potentially entering the house. |
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Tradition dictates that the knife must be left in front of the house for a total of three days. |
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The bowl of water is spilled and then turned upside down. |
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Both the bride and bride groom receive support from relatives as they take part in the ceremony’s main rituals. |
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It is traditional for the bridegroom and bride not to see each other during the wedding ceremony. |
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It is customary that the bridegroom bows down a total of 12 times in order to pay homage to the ancestors. |
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People of the Dao Lo Gang ethnic group play traditional musical instruments while the rituals are underway. |
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Wine is among the offerings presented to the ancestors. |
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The bride and bridegroom must drink wine during the rituals to show their promises to live happily together forever. |
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The shaman then ties a red scarf onto the altar in order to protect the newly married couple. The scarf will be removed three days later. |
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Music in wedding ritual of Red Dao in Lao Cai province
For the Red Dao, a ceremonial music band is an important part of happy events such as wedding ceremonies. The cheerful sound of clarinets and drums expresses the joy of