Picture of the Week – 26.1.15 – Central Vietnam
By Tessa Bunney on 26 January 2015The Cham, a Muslim community of around 39,000 people living along the coast of Central Vietnam are one of the 54 ethnic groups recognised by the Vietnamese government.
In villages in Central Vietnam, Cham girls usually in groups of around 5 (but always an uneven number), undergo a Karoh (maturity) ceremony, one of the most important ritual events of their lives and if it has not taken place, the girl cannot marry.
After a purification ritual, the girls prepare for the main ceremony by dressing in a white dress and then putting on bronze, copper and sometimes gold jewellery. The girl’s hair is brushed and put up into a bun. Afterwards each girl is given a traditional yellow robe and her head is covered with a red woven cloth and then the head priest places his hand on the girls head, recites a prayer and cuts a small lock of her hair.
Muslim Cham girls wearing yellow robes, handwoven red cloths and bronze and copper jewellery at their Karoh (maturity) ceremony.