What are the necessary customs and etiquette for marrying a wife in rural areas of Shuozhou, Shanxi?

Generally, wedding etiquette should be strict: 1. 1 Marriage discussion is also called marriage discussion. Including marriage proposal, posting, blind date and other stages. Generally speaking, the man first asks the matchmaker to propose marriage, which is equivalent to accepting six ancient gifts. If the two sides agree, please ask the fortune teller to measure the "eight characters" of the date of birth and check whether the two sides agree. 1.2 meshing is also called meshing. After the ceremony, if everything is consistent, we must agree on the bride price. All the "bride price money" or "engagement money" have been agreed and put into the gift list. After the appointment, the man will only receive a part of the "gift money", commonly known as the "first half ceremony." Then exchange Geng stickers, and after exchanging Geng stickers, you are officially engaged, which is also called marriage. Some people are exchanging wedding stickers, and both parties will hold a banquet for their relatives and friends, called an engagement dinner. Some also pay attention to the exchange of "dragon and phoenix stickers", that is, the word "dragon" is printed on the man's sticker, and the word "phoenix" is printed on the woman's sticker, and it is generally necessary to give each other engagement objects. The man gives the woman: money, clothes, jewelry, boxes and so on. Four Treasures of the Study, porcelain vases, fans, wallets, red belts and so on are what the woman wants to give to the man. Whether poor or rich, a red belt is essential, which means to tie them together. 1.3 Marriage is marriage. The man chooses an auspicious day and gives the woman a "wedding sticker". Both sides make preparations in advance. A few days before the wedding, the man should give the woman bride price, clothes, jewelry, wine and meat; On the day before the wedding, the woman will give the dowry to the man, such as tables, chairs, cabinets, bedding, toiletries and so on. On the eve of a daughter's wedding, she often stays at home, that is, avoiding the sun and staying indoors, usually for twenty or thirty days. A day or two before marriage, the mother will show her daughter. That is, beauty and facial repair, such as eyebrow trimming, hair removal and sideburns. Comb your hair into a bun before dawn, so it becomes a "top", which means that the girl is going to be a daughter-in-law. There are many kinds of ceremonies to welcome the bride. Generally speaking, it takes three sedan chairs, two or three horses, and five sedan chairs for wealthy families. Sitting in a sedan chair three times is a single marriage, and sitting in a sedan chair five times is a double marriage. In some places, the groom will go to the woman's house to celebrate the wedding, but in some places, the groom will not go. The man rides mules and horses at weddings and farewells. There should be gunners, flags, drums, sedan chairs and horseback riding before and after the wedding. The person who marries is married in the woman's house, usually hosted by the woman's house, and also eats some simple tea fruits and fried food, which is called "wearing tea". The bride wore a red cover and was carried to the sedan chair by her brother, so as not to take her family away with her feet. When you come back from the wedding route, don't follow the path you took, but pay attention to the big circle. When returning, if you pass a temple, a well platform or a mill, cover the window where the bride is sitting with a red carpet or a red cloth, in order to prevent the interference of white tigers, ghosts and evil spirits. If there are wells, pits and holes on the road, cover them with red paper to ward off evil spirits. When the wedding comes back, drums and music are ringing and guns are all over the sky, welcoming people out. After the sedan chair stops, the mother-in-law will first give the bride powder and feed her a piece of rock sugar. Then, a "all-blessed person" (a person with both parents) or two girls helped each other and walked onto the red carpet with the groom into the yard. The bride got off the sedan chair, holding a "treasure pot" in her hands, and the tribute sprinkled grain, red dates, candy and coins to open the way. The fire in the hospital has ignited the groom's back or held the bride around the fire for good luck. The incense table is placed in front of the main house. In addition to offerings, there are also items such as bows and arrows, buckets, rulers, scales and mirrors on the incense table to ward off evil spirits. Before the bride and groom go to the incense table together, under the auspices of the undertaker, they worship heaven and earth first, then the high hall, and then the couple worship each other. After the ceremony, I entered the bridal chamber. The people watching in the yard are scrambling to break the window paper of the new house and peep in. The more broken windows, the better, so as to have more children. After entering the bridal chamber, the groom will shoot bows and arrows in all directions, which is called "driving the white tiger". Then, the groom takes off the bride's "red hijab" and the two drink a glass of wine called "Reunion Wine". After dinner, family, relatives or villagers will come to make trouble in the bridal chamber, which is also called "joking" bride. In the meantime, there are also some jokes about uncles and in-laws. There is a folk proverb that "if you don't make trouble, you won't make trouble" and "if you make trouble in a bridal chamber, it's no big deal or small". Some are "teasing" to amuse the bride by telling riddles and funny words, and some are "beating" to force the bride and groom to do some affectionate and teasing actions. After the bridal chamber, the bride and groom fall asleep, and the aunt, brother-in-law or mother-in-law should "listen to the room" in front of the bridal chamber window to see if the bride and groom are beautiful. 1.4 On the second day of worshipping people, the bride and groom should kowtow to their families and relatives according to their seniority before the incense table, which is called "recognizing the size" and "thanking people", and the worshiped people should buy gifts. 1.5 Kissing back is also called "returning the door". On the morning of the second or third day after marriage, the bride and groom go back to their parents' home to recognize their relatives. This is an indispensable etiquette. The bride's old man attaches great importance to returning home in three days, so the groom should make preparations in advance, both ideologically and as gifts, so as to leave a good impression on his parents-in-law. When going back to their parents' home, the bride and groom should greet the old man first. At this time, the groom should change his mind and call his parents-in-law like a bride. Everyone in the village came to see their son-in-law, making fun of their "new uncle". When eating at noon, some wrap the groom with salt and pepper jiaozi; Some naughty girls (usually younger sisters) secretly discredit the groom's face, or some young men ask the groom to do something excessive, such as kowtowing to peers or juniors in the village. 1.6 Delivery Hall On the second day of family reunion, the bride and groom are sent back to the groom's home by the woman's peers, which is called "Delivery Hall". 1.7 Living in Japan is the last item of the wedding. From the day of seeing the bride off, I will go to the groom's house for one day and then go back to the bride's house for one month. In the meantime, relatives from both villages invited the bride and groom to dinner respectively, which is called "recognizing relatives". At this point, the lively and grand wedding is over, and a couple officially started their marriage life. The wedding etiquette procedure is complicated and simple, but people still take it seriously and never careless. Its purpose is twofold: first, to make the wedding recognized and legalized by the society; The second is to eliminate disasters for newlyweds and pray for a happy life. In fact, many rural areas still continue this custom, while some urban people are mixed with many modern fashion factors, and the local flavor is getting weaker and weaker. The complicated wedding etiquette in Shuozhou, Shanxi Province also has a detailed and unique side. In the process of discussing relatives, please ask the fortune teller to measure the "birthday". It has always been thought that "white horses are afraid of green cattle", "dragons and rabbits communicate with tears", "pigs and dogs don't touch their heads", "snakes and tigers are like knives and files", "once sheep and rats rest" and "golden roosters are afraid of Yulong". All these animals are compatible and square. In ancient times, I don't know how many lovers were forced to break up because of disagreement. It is not only necessary to measure the zodiac, but also involves yin and yang. If you don't do anything, you have to live with each other, so that you can judge the quality of marriage. The day before the wedding ceremony, the woman should give the dowry to the man, and some women put some walnuts, dates and peanuts in the dowry items, which means wishing you an early birth; Some also put bronze mirrors (commonly known as "the bottom of the wardrobe", and modern people usually put some money or valuables) and flower threads at the bottom of the dressing box or suitcase for their daughters to open when they arrive at their in-laws' house. In the old society, women got married at a younger age, which was a sex education project of the ancients. Of course, the most distinctive is the custom of "mule carrying sedan chair" unique to Pinglu area of Shuozhou. This custom is unique when holding a wedding. When the bride is married, the sedan chair should be carried by a mule. "Xi Jiao", also known as "Hua Jiao", is a means of transportation for wedding etiquette in the old days, indicating that the bride is the original wife that Ming Media is marrying. "Mule carrying a sedan chair" refers to two or more mules carrying a sedan chair in tandem. The two mules used are well-trained mules, with strong physique and good coat color, and listen to the words of the "mule driver". The "mule-carried sedan chair" has exquisite workmanship, strong wood, exquisite carving and rigorous structure. The biggest difference between it and other sedan chairs is its firmness. The decorative patterns of "mule-back sedan chair" all have the meaning of happy and auspicious pairs, such as double phoenix, double butterfly and double bat hovering up and down, which are composed of pairs and contain the meaning of love between husband and wife, beauty and villagers. There are also double rabbits and Pisces, commonly known as "slippery rabbits". An important part of the "mule-carrying sedan chair" is the "sedan chair pole", which is long and strong and stands on both sides of the sedan chair. The two ends of the "sedan chair pole" are tied with "stretching" made of fine leather, and the force point of "lifting" is here. On the wedding day, "Tofu" was the most respected. They are dressed in new black clothes and white towels around their heads, and their costumes are exquisite and capable. A good "sedan chair bearer" can drive a "sedan chair carried by a mule" steadily even if the road is rugged, and people don't have to suffer from bumps. Therefore, "small red envelopes" are often a necessity for brides to send "bearers". After the bride gets off the sedan chair, the groom should carry or hold the bride around the "Wanghuo" three times and turn it upside down for good luck. This custom is very similar to the "jumping brazier" in southern weddings. "Wanghuo" is made of carbon blocks in a tower shape with firewood in the middle. In order to make the carbon blocks burn more easily, various patterns are made of colored paper or cloth and placed outside the "Wanghuo", which is called "wearing colorful flowers". On the top of "Wanghuo", there is a red note that says "Wang Qi soars into the sky" and there is a saying to ward off evil spirits. The wedding etiquette in Shuozhou is also particular about diet. Generally, there are sayings of "66" and "88" at wedding banquets of rich families. The so-called "66" and "88" mean "six cool and six hot" and "eight cool and eight hot", and in some places there are "perfect seats", which means "hot pot". No matter what kind of blessing, there is no shortage of "Fuzi steamed buns", which generally have mascots such as "walking fish and lucky rabbit". Wine is also an indispensable thing for a banquet. Coupled with Shuozhou's unique entertainment and competitive folk custom-boxing (guessing boxing), the festive atmosphere can be more intense. Taboos in Shuozhou wedding etiquette are also very distinctive. For example, avoid getting married twice in a year; Marriage is generally taboo for aunt to marry, and aunt and sister send it; The bride's red hijab is generally embroidered with "dragon and phoenix are auspicious"; For example, on the wedding day, the two teams meet on the wedding road, and the brides of both sides should exchange needlework or xipa; Avoid widows when worshipping heaven and earth; Avoid using new houses in new houses; Widows and pregnant women are forbidden to enter the bridal chamber.