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kept in jars and drunk with pipes), enjoy food and watch
beautiful dances.
Men in white skirts and indigo brocade tops and women
wearing black skirts and white tunics join in a traditional
dance of Chu Ru people. The atmosphere is effervescent,
marking a joyful and happy start to the couple’s new life.
Sadly however, the tradition is now causing many prob-
lems. “In the past, we just had to pay for a scarf, cow or
buffalo, but now, it can involve money and gold which can
cause many difficulties for the girl’s family,” Jor Nung, an 80
year old woman in Pró Trong village reveals. Often families
now have to come up with 37.5 grams of gold and VND5-10
million in cash. However, some families ask for a dizzying
amount – up to VND50 million.
That spells disaster if a family has many daughters. Some
of them will end up living alone for their whole life because
their family is too poor. To avoid this, many families get
deeper and deeper into debt.
Tuteng Ma Bao of Ka Don Commune is a case in point.
She has five boys and four girls. The dowry earned from the
five boys did not off-set the amount she had to find for her
four girls. Ultimately, she had to sell her last paddy field. She
now has to work hard to make ends meet. Others have been
forced to get loans from banks and when parents die, this
debt is passed to the couple.
28 year old K’mien has been married for six years and
has three children. She has not paid her wedding debt yet.
50 year old Ma Nhong Nai Den, a nurse, has just got married
to a colleague but her four other sisters, aged from 33-50,
are still alone. Two others, Ka Linh and Ka Tuyn, both over
70, are also living alone for the same reason.
Behind the cheerful scenes of couples during the hus-
band catching season, there is much sadness due to the
inability of so many to afford to take part in what was once
a beautiful custom.