WEDDINGS
Hmong wedding traditions are believed to have taken root with the two sons who survived the gray flood which cleansed humanity. The two sons were called Lialue and Trumee. They made everything possible that is used during a wedding including the rules and chants. During a traditional wedding, Hmong people place a heavier emphasis on uniting the two families than making the bride and groom happy.
A marriage is not just uniting the bride and from, but rather about bringing the two families together. Normally weddings can take two days and one night to complete and even so can take more than two days on rare occasions. The average traditional Hmong wedding consists of four major parts. First is for the bride and groom to unite, the bride is to be inducted into his family, the family of the bride hosts a wedding, then it concludes with the wedding at the grooms home.
There are 3 different ways a couple can initiate a wedding.
The first one is a formal proposal. This is when a man and representatives from his family do a formal house call. They bring gifts and money and ask the girl’s parents for her hand in marriage.
The second one is the most common way couples get married. When a man is interested in marrying someone, he gives her a gift. If she accepts it, it means she agrees to marry him. The gift isn’t necessarily an engagement ring; it could come in the form of jewelry, clothes, or simple trinkets. American Hmong nowadays rarely practice this tradition before marriage anymore.
The groom will then take his bride, or she will run away with him, on a later date. This is to prove to the guy that she loves him enough to leave her family. After the couple gets to the groom’s house, his family will send a clan member to the bride’s family to announce that their daughter is with them.
The third is bride-napping. This is a very abusive tradition that happens when a man has no respect for the female’s feelings and decides that even if she doesn’t want to marry him, he will force her to. Sometimes the man will give her a gift without her knowing his intentions. Here, in the US, he may tell the girl he wants to take her out and instead take her to his house. In Asia, he may come to her house when her parents are not home and literally carry or drag her home with the help of family members.
On the morning of the third day of the wedding, a ceremony is held to induct her to the grooms family. Two chickens and an egg are used to call her soul, which in Hmong it translate to hu plig. A pig is also used to prepare for a short ceremony and for feeding guests.
Before a wedding can take place, both clans have to agree on a bride price. The bride price ranges from $3,000 – $10,000, depending on the worth of the bride. The bride price is given to the bride’s family by the groom’s family. Additionally, the bride price was an assurance for the bride’s family that the groom will treat her with respect. The higher the bride price, the higher the value of a bride, the more her family expects her new husband to treat her well. However, this tradition has lost its meaning with time.
Alcohol is a significant part of Hmong wedding. Liquor is served in shot glasses while beer is offered in cans or bottles. Drinking is done in a very specific manner and at the request of specific people seated at the table. For example, at any moment during the event, the brothers of the bride are allowed to demand that the groom drink up to a 12 ounce portion of beer. The groom must finish it before being allowed to drink something else. For those at or near the table, when a drink is offered it is very difficult to reject. If someone rejects a drink, the person who offers it can double the request. This has been viewed as a way of showing respect and celebrating the marriage.
After the wedding, the bride and groom are to go back to the family of the grooms in which the bride will now live and begin her new life.
A marriage is not just uniting the bride and from, but rather about bringing the two families together. Normally weddings can take two days and one night to complete and even so can take more than two days on rare occasions. The average traditional Hmong wedding consists of four major parts. First is for the bride and groom to unite, the bride is to be inducted into his family, the family of the bride hosts a wedding, then it concludes with the wedding at the grooms home.
There are 3 different ways a couple can initiate a wedding.
The first one is a formal proposal. This is when a man and representatives from his family do a formal house call. They bring gifts and money and ask the girl’s parents for her hand in marriage.
The second one is the most common way couples get married. When a man is interested in marrying someone, he gives her a gift. If she accepts it, it means she agrees to marry him. The gift isn’t necessarily an engagement ring; it could come in the form of jewelry, clothes, or simple trinkets. American Hmong nowadays rarely practice this tradition before marriage anymore.
The groom will then take his bride, or she will run away with him, on a later date. This is to prove to the guy that she loves him enough to leave her family. After the couple gets to the groom’s house, his family will send a clan member to the bride’s family to announce that their daughter is with them.
The third is bride-napping. This is a very abusive tradition that happens when a man has no respect for the female’s feelings and decides that even if she doesn’t want to marry him, he will force her to. Sometimes the man will give her a gift without her knowing his intentions. Here, in the US, he may tell the girl he wants to take her out and instead take her to his house. In Asia, he may come to her house when her parents are not home and literally carry or drag her home with the help of family members.
On the morning of the third day of the wedding, a ceremony is held to induct her to the grooms family. Two chickens and an egg are used to call her soul, which in Hmong it translate to hu plig. A pig is also used to prepare for a short ceremony and for feeding guests.
Before a wedding can take place, both clans have to agree on a bride price. The bride price ranges from $3,000 – $10,000, depending on the worth of the bride. The bride price is given to the bride’s family by the groom’s family. Additionally, the bride price was an assurance for the bride’s family that the groom will treat her with respect. The higher the bride price, the higher the value of a bride, the more her family expects her new husband to treat her well. However, this tradition has lost its meaning with time.
Alcohol is a significant part of Hmong wedding. Liquor is served in shot glasses while beer is offered in cans or bottles. Drinking is done in a very specific manner and at the request of specific people seated at the table. For example, at any moment during the event, the brothers of the bride are allowed to demand that the groom drink up to a 12 ounce portion of beer. The groom must finish it before being allowed to drink something else. For those at or near the table, when a drink is offered it is very difficult to reject. If someone rejects a drink, the person who offers it can double the request. This has been viewed as a way of showing respect and celebrating the marriage.
After the wedding, the bride and groom are to go back to the family of the grooms in which the bride will now live and begin her new life.
FUNERALS
Hmong treat death as the most important event on a person's life. During this time of passing, all family members, including children are expected to participate. Death is a time of transition for the human soul, with the Hmong believing that even though the body is gone, the should lives on forever. An elaborate funeral shows that the person had a successful life and will also allow to prepare the soul to enter the spirit world and next life.
Hmong people back in the day had a hard time comprehending the fact that when a person dies, everything shuts down, so they have a tendency of thinking that a dead person can come back to life or even come back to life in another form of life. Hmong believe in luck and spiritual support. They believe that a good funeral and strategic burial site will trigger praises from elders and improve the life of the deceased in the after world.
It is normal for Hmong people to expect a lengthy and elaborate funeral, which can last from days to a week. During the 2-3 days of services, someone plays a qeej, a flute-like instrument made of bamboo, pictured above, to help guide the deceased person’s spirit back to its ancestral home. The entire groups of mourners help make fake gold money boats for the deceased. These boats are made to sail along with the deceased to provide wealth for the spiritual journey.
The colors of the deceased’s clothes are also spiritually significant. The family dresses the body in black and white clothing, avoiding colors like green and red, that are thought to make the deceased ill. Specific shoes made of cloth are provided for the deceased. After the deceased is dressed, rituals start immediately. It's important that during the first ritual, which is calling of the soul, that nobody talks to or crus at the deceased. It is believed to be distractions that will make the soul not want to go or not listen to the instructions and get lost.
It is believed that the sacrificed animals will lead the deceased on their next journey. Hmong mourners set up continuous feasts for family and guests. Traditionally, cows and chickens were sacrificed as part of the funeral ritual and served to the guests of the funeral. In today’s age and Western funeral practices, ritual sacrifices do not take place at the site of the funeral services.
After the rituals and sacrifices, all those who attended the burial are to go back to the family home where a burning fire and bowl of water greet them. Before they can go back into the house, they must cross over the fire and was their hand thoroughly. Hmong people believe that evil spirits are afraid of fire, so that they will not follow.
Families say their blessings and the ceremony is finally over. It's said that if a Hmong funeral isn't conducted correctly, the deceased may not be able to find his way and his soul will wander for eternity.
Hmong people back in the day had a hard time comprehending the fact that when a person dies, everything shuts down, so they have a tendency of thinking that a dead person can come back to life or even come back to life in another form of life. Hmong believe in luck and spiritual support. They believe that a good funeral and strategic burial site will trigger praises from elders and improve the life of the deceased in the after world.
It is normal for Hmong people to expect a lengthy and elaborate funeral, which can last from days to a week. During the 2-3 days of services, someone plays a qeej, a flute-like instrument made of bamboo, pictured above, to help guide the deceased person’s spirit back to its ancestral home. The entire groups of mourners help make fake gold money boats for the deceased. These boats are made to sail along with the deceased to provide wealth for the spiritual journey.
The colors of the deceased’s clothes are also spiritually significant. The family dresses the body in black and white clothing, avoiding colors like green and red, that are thought to make the deceased ill. Specific shoes made of cloth are provided for the deceased. After the deceased is dressed, rituals start immediately. It's important that during the first ritual, which is calling of the soul, that nobody talks to or crus at the deceased. It is believed to be distractions that will make the soul not want to go or not listen to the instructions and get lost.
It is believed that the sacrificed animals will lead the deceased on their next journey. Hmong mourners set up continuous feasts for family and guests. Traditionally, cows and chickens were sacrificed as part of the funeral ritual and served to the guests of the funeral. In today’s age and Western funeral practices, ritual sacrifices do not take place at the site of the funeral services.
After the rituals and sacrifices, all those who attended the burial are to go back to the family home where a burning fire and bowl of water greet them. Before they can go back into the house, they must cross over the fire and was their hand thoroughly. Hmong people believe that evil spirits are afraid of fire, so that they will not follow.
Families say their blessings and the ceremony is finally over. It's said that if a Hmong funeral isn't conducted correctly, the deceased may not be able to find his way and his soul will wander for eternity.
HMONG NEW YEAR
The purpose of the Hmong New Year, which translate to Noj Peb Caug is to thank all the gods and ancestors, who have helped throughout the year celebrate the hard work and accomplishments of the year, have fun after the hard year of work, and welcome and embrace the coming year. The traditional Hmong New Year starts on the 30th of December on the lunar calendar and lasts until the 3rd of January. Because the New Year is celebrated in many different cities, depending on how busy these areas are during this time, some do not end the New Year celebration until the 5th or the 7th of January.
Hmong New Year is a unique celebration which has many cultural characteristics. During this time, all the family members souls, household spirits, and ancestor spirits must be called upon to attend the ceremony. In the Hmong tradition, it is very important that the souls of the family members are happy during the New Year, so all the people must be at home, and their souls must be called back to stay in their bodies.
During the year, souls may wander, so the souls are called back with a soul calling ceremony performed by a shaman. As the shaman calls the souls back, chickens and eggs are used to appease and welcome the souls. Chickens are also used as sacrifice to the household spirits and ancestor spirits who are called upon to join the family in celebrating the New Year. The household and ancestor spirits are asked to help look after the family members and help the family become even more prosperous in the coming year.
While the New Year is rooted in culture, it is also a time for entertainment and courtship among the youth. At the celebration, Hmong people gather to play a game using a top like object, sing Hmong folksong, and play a courting game of ball tossing. Ball Tossing is a common courting ritual during the New Year that goes on every day during the celebration. Boys and girls dress in traditional finery, and the young people form two parallel lines with girls on one line facing an opposite line of boys. While singing Hmong folksongs, which are passed down from generation to generation, they play catch with a homemade fabric ball that is about the size of an American softball. The game becomes a way for the boys and girls to talk and interact, and it serves as a vehicle for starting a courtship.
Hmong New Year celebrations preserve Hmong ethnic traditions and culture, and may also serve to educate those who are interested in Hmong tradition.
Hmong New Year is a unique celebration which has many cultural characteristics. During this time, all the family members souls, household spirits, and ancestor spirits must be called upon to attend the ceremony. In the Hmong tradition, it is very important that the souls of the family members are happy during the New Year, so all the people must be at home, and their souls must be called back to stay in their bodies.
During the year, souls may wander, so the souls are called back with a soul calling ceremony performed by a shaman. As the shaman calls the souls back, chickens and eggs are used to appease and welcome the souls. Chickens are also used as sacrifice to the household spirits and ancestor spirits who are called upon to join the family in celebrating the New Year. The household and ancestor spirits are asked to help look after the family members and help the family become even more prosperous in the coming year.
While the New Year is rooted in culture, it is also a time for entertainment and courtship among the youth. At the celebration, Hmong people gather to play a game using a top like object, sing Hmong folksong, and play a courting game of ball tossing. Ball Tossing is a common courting ritual during the New Year that goes on every day during the celebration. Boys and girls dress in traditional finery, and the young people form two parallel lines with girls on one line facing an opposite line of boys. While singing Hmong folksongs, which are passed down from generation to generation, they play catch with a homemade fabric ball that is about the size of an American softball. The game becomes a way for the boys and girls to talk and interact, and it serves as a vehicle for starting a courtship.
Hmong New Year celebrations preserve Hmong ethnic traditions and culture, and may also serve to educate those who are interested in Hmong tradition.