Rituals and changes in the marriage of Islamic Cham in An Giang

Abstract

The Cham people in An Giang follow Islam and are heavily influenced by the religious teachings and laws that they believe in. In their marriage customs, the Cham people in An Giang perform traditional rites following their religious regulations strictly. Today, due to the cultural exchange with neighboring ethnic groups, especially with the Kinh and Cham people in An Giang, there have been changes in their marriage ceremonies. Although the Cham community here still maintains the wedding ceremony at the cathedral, remain their wedding customs including taking the groom and in-law staying, paying "market money", the custom of singing goodbye to the groom’s parents before moving to in-law staying, etc. However, there have been some changes in the marriage age, the ritual of incense, the means of transportation of the groom, the way of the wedding reception, etc. This article presents the basic rituals in the marriage of the Islamic Cham in An Giang and their marriage changes in the current context.