Local Culture & Festivals In Ha Giang

Bride Kidnapping of H’mong people

Bride kidnapping of H’Mong ethnic groups has been practiced for quite a long time. They believe that this custom expresses the freedom of marriage and symbolizes an escape from poverty for people that can’t afford to get married. For centuries, Northern ethnic groups in Sa Pa & Ha Giang have been practicing bride kidnapping as a part of their cultural identity.
When H’mong couples are ready to get married, they will discuss it with both of their families about the upcoming wedding. If things go smoothly according to plan, the groom and his family will go meet the bride’s family as a part of the proposal ceremony, then an engagement ceremony will be held. And finally, a wedding will be organized.
However, in reality, there are many lovers whose marriage is disapproved of by the bride’s family. Then the idea of bride kidnapping is the ultimate solution so that they can be together. It can happen on a nice day when they are dating. The man will ask for help from their friends and relatives beforehand, and then all of them will kidnap and drag the woman to the man’s house.
Although the woman might have known this plan in advance, she will need to scream, cry and call out to her family for help – acting like she is trying to fight against these people. If the woman does not cry and scream out loud, she will be considered spoiled and get looked down on by the villagers.
On the other hand, the woman’s family will come to rescue her with wooden sticks to hit the man and his friends. As a part of the bride kidnapping custom, the groom’s family and friends are not allowed to fight back. They need to take all the hits from the bride’s family in resilience as a price.
When kidnapping and dragging the woman home, the groom and his friends have to make sure that her feet are not touching the ground. Also, they are not allowed to hurt