page_title: Traditional Vietnamese wedding
section_title: Symbols
hierarchical_section_title: Traditional Vietnamese wedding / Symbols
caption_attribution_description: A typical decoration used at Vietnamese wedding ceremonies. "Lễ Vu Quy" means "wedding ceremony".
context_page_description: The traditional Vietnamese wedding is one of the most important ceremonies in Vietnamese culture, which is influenced by Confucian and Buddhist ideologies.
context_section_description: Traditional and modern symbols of marriage are often featured during Vietnamese marriage ceremonies as decorations on the wedding umbrellas, lacquer gift boxes (or the red cloth that covers them), or even the decorations in the homes of both the bride and groom. These symbols are to represent luck, fidelity, and happiness for the young couple, among many other things. These symbols and color choices are similar to that of many Asian cultures.
  Decorations in the ceremony, from the clothing to the gifts received usually will include lanterns, doves, initials of the couple, among other things. However, one symbol that is indispensable are the words "song hỷ." This phrase also appears as the character 囍, which reflects the influence of Chinese characters. While literacy in these scripts during feudalistic times was restricted mostly to scholars, officials and other members of the elite, characters such as these have always played an aesthetic role in important occasions such as weddings. Words that are written on the décor are often written in cursive, and it was common to display the names of the couple in front of the bride and groom's house to show the community who is getting married.
caption: Vietnamese sayings of good fortune and a happy marriage for the couple are seen in many wedding decorations.
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