Hoa ethnic group
Customs and habits
They build houses usually with
three rooms and live close together. The families of the same lineage always
reside together. In a Hoa family, the husband is the head of the household. The
right of inheritance is reserved for the sons only. The eldest son always gets
the greater part of the property. Parents decide the marriage arrangement of
their children, and early marriages are common. The choices of a husband or a
wife are often based on the desires of the family to have equal social standing
or are dictated by business considerations.
According to customs, funerals must
go through several rituals. The cycle starts with informing others of the
mourning process, wearing mourning clothes, wrapping the corpse, opening the
road for the dead soul, burying the dead, bringing their soul to the
"country of Buddha in the west", and the last rite is the completion
of the mourning process. Since respect for the dead is very important, in all
villages and hamlets, there are temples, pagodas, and shrines built for
veneration of the dead.
Culture
The Hoa language belongs to the Han
Group.
Costumes
Hoa men have adopted a dress similar to
the Nung, Giay, Mong, and Dao. Hoa women's garments consist of a pair of trousers,
a five-panelled vest which falls to mid-thigh, and a short sleeve shirt with
five-panels.
Economy
The Hoa practice
various occupations including agriculture, handicrafts, trading, fishing, and
salt-making. Hoa farmers have a long tradition of cultivating submerged fields.
They also work as laborers, teachers, cadres, and other professionals.
