San Diego Hmong Language Project

Wedding Song

Audio

Listen to the story using the audio player below, or right click on the player to save the audio file.

Commentary

A traditional Hmong wedding occurs at the bride's family home. At the wedding ceremony, when the food is cooked and ready to be served, tables and chairs are set up. The male relatives of both the groom and bride are asked to sit at the table where traditions will proceed. To be seated at the wedding table means that one is respected and honored (women were not part of the wedding table).

Similar to different types of kwv txhiaj and lug txaj based on the dialects and region, the traditional White Hmong's wedding song opens with 'hais zoo li kuv os...'

mej koob are wedding negotiators that play a significant role in the overall success of the wedding. The mej koob are always men skilled in singing traditional wedding songs. The mej koob's main responsiblity is to successfully negotiate the bride's price for both families to agree upon.

Transcripts

Both of you are the best of my friends. As if it is any other day or times, we would not need a table.

Tables have it a place to live in, but tonight we need a table to seek for help, a table it have four legs stay righteously.

As if it is any other night we would not need table to help, it has a place to hide, but tonight we need table to help, a table has four legs to stand on, we ask our parents of the daughter to give provide a table.

The table will have four legs and four hands to hold the bride and groom forty cups of wine.

The table have four legs on the bottom but on top there is a place to hold four cups for us to share bitter wine for the happiness.

As the table has four leg to stand on, atop it has a place for us to place the hand, on the table it has a place to hold a good cup of spirit water, the water is the happiness.

We ask the good friend to know what it is on the table, and please let our request be fulfilled at this point.

Script
ntawm nuav kuv yog nyaj yas yaaj.
kuv yog yug xyoo ib phav cuaj puas plaub caug ib
aws...
taam sim nuav kuv twb muaj xya caeg
plaub xyoo ntau lawm yuav txug xya caug tsib xyoo
ntawm nuav kuv yuav has
thawj thawj qhov nuav yog
ib zaj zag tshoob
thawj thawj zaaj
zaaj tshoob kws
yuav nqug rooj nqug tog
ib
siv yis
tuaj laag txug nyob kws
mej ob
mag txwj mej
koob
kwv zoo kuv nkaum kwv luag
zoo le kws
txhua naj moog txhua mo
peb tsis yuav roob lig tis lub zug ces
roob lig tiv
nws nyob lawm nws zeg mo nuav
peb yuav txug rooj lig tiv
lub dlaag moog lub zug ces roob lig tiv
nws muaj lawm nwg plaub txhais tes taw os
zoo le kws txhua naj moog txhua mo peb tsis yuav rooj lig tiv lub dlaag
moog lub zug ces rooj lig tiv
nws pw lawm nws zeg
mo nuav peb yuav rub rooj lig tiv
lub dlaag moog lawm lub zug
ces rooj lig tiv
nws muaj lawm nws plaub txhais taw tes
loj vim tub tsheej kws sawv ua tsaug has rua kuv nam kuv txiv
mej tom nuav es rhu rooj li tiv
ntuj tawm tuaj ni rooj liv tiv ces
ncej roog nws muaj lawm plaub tug taws sawm qaum rooj ces nws yuav cug qaum li tshoov
luag ris nyog
plaub caug yig moog khob cawv os
zoo le kws rooj lis tiv
ces muaj lawm plaub tug ceg saub lis rooj ces
le lug ris nyog nkauj nyab nraug vauv
nam plaub caug khob dlej
es ncej roog ces muaj lawm plaub tug taw
sawm qaum rooj ces txaw taag
wb ob maag xws mej koob nam pib moog cawv ab yog wb ob
yog wb ob maag txwj mej koob pib cawv moog hum sab es
zoo le kws ncej roog
txhawj lawm nam plaub
khob...ncej roog ces txawj lawm nam plaub tug ceg
zoo le qaum rooj ces
txawj tau wb ob maag xws mej koob
lub chaw moog taag teg
qaum rooj ces txawv tau
wb ob maag xws mej koob
zoo lawm nam ob pib moog dlej tshab
yog wb pib dlej rov hum sab nuav lag
kuv nkawm zoo kwv yaig cog kws qos luag es
sam saib lis tag lis tag los txhawv txheej os
seem saib los tshawv yim
tag lawm lauj!