- In America, bridal traditions include a wedding gown, something old and something new, something borrowed and something blue.

But for many Karen people, their marriage customs go hand in hand with their weaving traditions and attire, like a red sarong, a chay moe wah or a white dress, and many other woven accessories.

(melodious music) (conversing in foreign language) (speaking in foreign language) Linvy Thein and her mother, Shi Paw, and their friend, Rosie Say, are all refugees from Myanmar or Burma.

And have continued their weaving traditions here in Minnesota.

- [Linvy] Back in the old day, mostly the young girl, when they are like seven or eight, they already start learning how to weave.

Like me, I learned from my mom.

My mom, she started to learn how to weave when she was seven years old.

And when she was 11 or 12, she knows how to do different patterns, everything.

She knows how to do it by herself.

- Weaving is a fundamental Karen art and practice.

But traditionally, it was more than just that.

The clothes worn and woven by a female artist revealed who she was as a Karen woman, including her marital status.

(speaking in foreign language) - [Linvy] Back in the old days, as a Karen culture, as a single woman, we're supposed to wear only white dress.

- Why white?

What does that represent?

(speaking in foreign language) In the Karen culture, brides upgrade their attire to a sarong, which is a long and flowing and woven fabric that wraps around their waist.

This change marks the rite of passage from singlehood to marriage.

(speaking in foreign language) - [Linvy] Traditionally, the groom's family usually come to the girl seven days before and they drink and cook and eat together.

They do it like an engagement.

(speaking in foreign language) - [Linvy] After seven days, the male comes to the bride's village and they have a wedding.

- And then the parents will give the bride the sarong to wear?

- If the bride's mother know how to weave, yeah, she'll weave for her daughter.

And also, if the daughter know how to weave, she'll weave by herself.

- They're usually kind of red, right?

(speaking in foreign language) - I don't know how to translate.

(laughs) (speaking in foreign language) - [Linvy] From our region, after we marry, we're supposed to wear the sarong so it shows we are no longer single.

Weaving is a part of the Karen culture.

We are Karen and we should know our culture.

And we should know where we are from.

And especially for the younger generation, we want our younger generation to know their roots, to know our culture and our identity.

And we don't want this to disappear.

(speaking in foreign language)