Vietnamese Club to perform at Multicultural Fest
The Golden Age Foundation (GAF) will host a Multicultural Festival in the Amphitheater on Saturday, July 18, starting at 7:30 p.m., to showcase the cultural diversity within Leisure World. This festival provides a platform for clubs to share their heritage, culture and traditions.
Seven cultural clubs have been working hard to prepare a variety of traditional dances, songs, and musical performances, one of those clubs is the Vietnamese Club. The theme for the club’s performance will be a traditional Vietnamese wedding to share the beauty, elegance, and cultural heritage of Vietnam with the community.
Vietnamese traditional weddings are more than a celebration between two people: they are a union of two families rooted in respect, culture, and ancestral traditions. Rich in symbolism and family values, these ceremonies have been passed down for generations.
A traditional wedding often begins with the “Ăn cu’o’i” engagement ceremony, where the groom’s family presents ceremonial gifts such as tea, wine, fruits and betel leaves to the bride’s family. These offerings symbolize respect, gratitude and the joining of the two families.
On the wedding day, the couple participates in the ancestor ceremony. The bride and groom light incense and bow before the family altar to honor their ancestors and seek blessings for a happy marriage and future together. A tea ceremony follows, where the couple serves tea to parents and elders as a sign of respect and appreciation. In return, the elders offer blessings, advice, and sometimes jewelry or lucky money to the newlyweds.
Traditional Vietnamese weddings are also known for the elegant áo dài, colorful decorations in red and gold symbolizing happiness and prosperity, and joyful receptions filled with music, food, and family celebrations. It will begin with a traditional Lion Dance performance, symbolizing the chasing away of evil spirits and bringing good luck, happiness, and prosperity to the bride, groom, and both families. The ceremony will also include an áo dài fashion display, traditional music and instrumental performances, wedding procession reenactment, cultural narration honoring ancestral traditions, and Vietnamese wedding red envelopes presentation.
The Vietnamese Club of LW was founded by Do Thien Trần in December 2004. His vision was to bring Vietnamese residents together to build friendship, practice Tai Chi, play Mahjong, and preserve Vietnamese culture and traditions while remembering the homeland they left behind in search of freedom in the U.S.
—Phuoc Germaine
The Vietnamese Club will perform at the Multicultural Festival on July 18.
