The significance of traditional Northern engagement customs
In traditional Vietnamese wedding procedures, the engagement ceremony is the most important ritual because it is the official announcement of the betrothal between the two families. Therefore, the preparation of offerings for the groom's family to bring to the bride's house is given special attention.
Engagement ceremony according to traditional customs
Looking at the number of trays and the offerings on the wedding trays, one can guess the thoughtfulness, wealth, and prosperity of the groom's family, as well as the affection they have for their future daughter-in-law. Both the groom's and bride's families want to look good in the eyes of their relatives and neighbors, so Northern engagement ceremonies are often prepared very carefully and meticulously.
To determine the number of trays in the engagement ceremony, the groom's family will visit the bride's family, and the two families will discuss it thoroughly. That visit is called the “dam ngo” (proposal) ceremony. According to the customs of our elders, the bride's family will propose the 'wedding challenge,' including how many trays, what kinds of offerings, and how many ceremony sets (cash) the wedding dowry will consist of, and the amount for each.
How to arrange Northern style engagement ceremony trays
Quantity – odd trays, even offerings
The number of trays (wedding 'trap') in Northern engagement ceremonies is always an odd number, which can be 3, 5, 7, 9, or 11 trays. However, the number of offerings on each tray must absolutely be an even number, always going in pairs; for example, there must be 100 betel nuts, 100 green rice cakes ('banh com'), and 100 boxes of lotus jam. People in the past believed that odd numbers symbolized development, while even numbers symbolized having a couple. Therefore, the number of trays and offerings always follows odd and even patterns with the wish and desire for the young couple to always have each other, raise many children, and live together until old age.
The number of engagement trays according to Northern custom is always an odd number
How to choose engagement trays
According to long-standing traditional rituals, the offerings will be placed in red-lacquered gold-trimmed trays, which Northerners call engagement “trap”. Regardless of whether the quantity ranges from a few, such as 3 trays, to many, such as 11 trays, the traditional betel and areca tray is an indispensable tray in an engagement ceremony. 'The piece of betel begins the story' – it is the first guiding offering before other types of ceremony trays follow. After that, depending on the number of wedding trays, one chooses other offerings for the engagement ceremony.
A 3-tray engagement ceremony usually includes: a betel and areca tray (indispensable), a tea tray, and a lotus seed tray.
A 5-tray engagement ceremony usually includes: a betel and areca tray (indispensable), a tea tray, a lotus seed tray, a wine and cigarette tray, and a green rice cake tray.
A 7-tray engagement ceremony usually includes: a betel and areca tray (indispensable), a tea tray, a bánh cốm, tray, a wine and cigarette tray, a lotus seed tray, a husband-and-wife cake ('banh phu the') tray, and a green bean cake tray.
A 9-tray engagement ceremony usually includes: a betel and areca tray (indispensable), a tea tray, a green rice cake tray, a wine and cigarette tray, a lotus seed tray, a husband-and-wife cake tray, a green bean cake tray, a flower basket arranged with dragon and phoenix shapes, and a roast suckling pig tray.
An 11-tray engagement ceremony is rarely chosen by families, and in addition to the trays in a 9-tray ceremony, one can add other offerings, such as: a tower of canned beer, a tray of baked and sticky mooncakes, a tray of 'gac' sticky rice decorated with green beans... All offerings are arranged very beautifully, in a tower shape, displayed on red-lacquered gold-trimmed trays, and covered with red dragon and phoenix embroidered cloths.
Bao Minh wedding green rice cakes bring the traditional, authentic taste of Hanoi
When arranging engagement ceremony trays, Northern people always use two types of wedding cakes which are traditionally 'banh phu the' and 'banh com'. The criteria for choosing these two types of cakes, besides color and flavor, depend on an even more important factor: shelf life. If you want to buy 'banh com' or 'banh phu the' to arrange engagement ceremony trays, please visit our address at 12 Hang Than - Ba Dinh - Hanoi or major reputable supermarkets such as: BigC, VinMart, Coopmart, ... to find and buy the brand Bao Minh confectionery. Here, we provide wedding cake products produced using modern technology, with a longer shelf life while still retaining the traditional, authentic flavor of Hanoi in each cake.
For all detailed information, please contact:
BAO MINH CONFECTIONERY JOINT STOCK COMPANY
Address: Lot B2-3-3a, Nam Thang Long Industrial Zone, Thuy Phuong Ward, Bac Tu Liem District, Hanoi
Hotline: 0906 874 464
Phone number: 0243 719 2355
Email: banhkeobaominh@gmail.com
Website: https://banhbaominh.com/
