Wedding in Hue & River Cruise

Date: Tuesday & Wednesday, January 5 &6, 2010
Travel: Rental Van
Party: Vu & Family
Lodging: Duy Tan Hotel
Photos: 20100105 Nhu Bich's Wedding Photo Journal, 20100105 Hue Huyen Tran Citadel



January 5,6. I set my alarm to 4:30 am, as this morning my cousin had the wedding at the church set for a 5 AM ceremony. 5 AM!! It was on a Tuesday, at 5AM. Driving down the streets of Hue, it seemed like there was a wedding at every corner. Apparently this was the wedding season of the area, as January has the most mild temperatures. If standing in suits under the sun still drew plenty sweat in the mild month of January, imagine how soaked we would be in warmest month of July. The 5 am ceremony was done in order to start the traditional ceremonies at 8am, followed by an immediate reception at the grooms house, where they actually had about 5 tables for guest. Following this meal and party, the bride and groom was actually scheduled to do it 2 more times, as another rotation of 5 more table worth of guests would come, followed by another rotation.
After all that, my family went out to pay homage to my grandmother's burial site, which rested on a nice piece of land. However this is a temporary site, and would be one day removed to make way for a resort or park. Something doesn't sound right about that. Nearby, we visited the Huyen Tran cultural center, which a memorial for a legendary princess. The place is newly constructed, and the complex was still being built, but was complete enough to marvel in the site. The rest of the time, we revisited the imperial city, which had just recently started reconstruction. We enjoyed some of the local fare, which was probably one of the better eating experiences of the trip. The rest of the night, I would spend time with the family and make the most of my time with my ailing grandfather, who seemed to be getting a little better while we were there.

The following day was a little more of the same, spending some time with the family visiting the nearby imperial sites, as well as spending some more time with the family. That evening we rented an entire boat, which we comfortably sat 30 or 40 members (we have a big family). On this river cruise, we would be entertained by folk music, but performed by a younger generation of people. The neatest part of the performance was with the percussions created by tea cups, harmonically coordinated between the fingers of the performers.