Wedding customs in Tibet

When Tibetan girls are in their thirties, they touch Cupid's arrow feathers. When they split a braid from the middle and combed it into two braids, it aroused young men's pursuit of her. This double braid dress symbolizes her maturity and is also the symbol of her suitor.

In Tibet, social communication between men and women is open. As long as both parties fall in love at first sight, the sweet first love life begins. A man can find the right time to love a woman. If he is well-off, he can also buy some duck egg powder, rouge paper, silk rope, or other things for each other to express his sincerity in love. In the process of first love, family ties are lingering, but they never want love letters to express themselves. Instead, they melt their hearts into pop songs, sing them in front of lovers, and sometimes whisper their love. However, ordinary Tibetan men and women have little freedom. If you want an opportunity to tell an endless love story, it's only during the holidays.

The Toon Festival in January, the Bow and Arrow Festival in February, and the World Happy Festival in midsummer ... Every grand event lasts for several days, and there is plenty of time. Men and women can take this opportunity to put on new clothes and meet their lovers.

There are different forms of marriage in Tibet, and engagement is relatively simple. On the day of engagement, the man's family will make a decision except to invite his close relatives to have a hearty meal, and there is nothing else. But the wedding was quite lively. On the day before the auspicious day, the man first gave the dress to the bride. At night, when there are few guests, the woman begins to make up for the bride, and the bride feels that she will leave home and enter a new family. Although her relatives and friends advised her, she kept crying. It was not until the auspicious day of the zodiac began in the morning that the man sent someone to marry her and the crying stopped.

Most people who marry the bride are close relatives of the groom. When they were young, they set off on reserve horses, and at least four or five servants were with them. Under the light of kerosene lamps, they happily crowded to the bride's door. Every time they passed a door, they presented a Hada to the door god. Only after the bride's family met them at the guest house and presented gifts to the shrine and parents did they sit down to drink tea.

The bride who is about to get on the horse is even more sad. She was helped onto the horse in tears, and her accompanying relatives followed her to her husband's house. It was still dark at that time!

When the bride enters the door, she should also sacrifice the protective colorful sword inserted on her back to the Buddhist temple to pray for the blessing of the family god, and then sit on the gift table with the groom, congratulated by her family and friends, and the wedding is completed.

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Post-Tibetan traditional marriage customs

In the later period of Tibet, when parents look for and choose partners for their children, they are based on whether the zodiac is consistent or not. If the zodiac matches, they ask the Lama for divination. If divination is allowed, both parents will discuss their children's marriage, and the married family will send wine to their relatives according to their own financial situation before making a final decision.

When sending wedding wine, the bride usually arranges offerings such as ancestors (mutton with a headscarf) and tea wine at home, and then gives the whole family gifts such as gifts according to the family's economic situation, and presents white Hada, and at the same time sets an auspicious day for the wedding.

There are two ways of marriage: hidden marriage and open marriage. The former is only suitable for marrying the bride, not the groom. When you get married in secret, you tell the bride that you are going to visit relatives in a distant place or go to a hot spring somewhere. When she arrives at the bride-to-be's place, you should hold a banquet here, set tea and wine, and bring good luck. At this time, you should explain to her the purpose of your coming here, put on the clothes that the bride has already prepared, put jade on the girl's head, and insert colored arrows (the arrows wrapped in Hada are the mascots used in the wedding). Some girls will explain everything when they get married.

Ming marriage is the day before the girl got married. A group of people from the married family came to the woman's house with jade and costumes. That night, the woman's family will set up a sumptuous banquet for the married family and determine the time to leave tomorrow. Just before getting married the next day, let the girl put on the costume brought by her married family, bring jade, insert colorful arrows and enter the door according to the prescribed time.

When inserting colorful arrows, the bride should insert them in the back collar and the groom in the belt.

When inserting colorful arrows, you should recite a eulogy: "The birth of an extremely white idol in Brahma's heart seems to gather all kinds of beauty, and the sea of American language is free from the sky, and its wisdom will last forever."

Then, the origin of humanitarian colored arrows chanting praise: Once upon a time, when Tibetan king Songzan Gambu married Princess Wencheng, Tibetan minister Gawa Dongzan married her with this colored arrow. Roots and tails together symbolize prosperity; The sharp iron at the top means to contain the rebellious enemy; The arrow waist is like the wing of Peng, symbolizing the natural achievements of the three saints and buddhas; Colorful prayer flags are intertwined, symbolizing the appearance of the five bodhisattvas; In the spotless silver mirror, the minds of infinite beings are revealed; Coral and agate are worn together, symbolizing the infinity of gold, silver and jewels. The best colorful arrows are held by beautiful and kind you, and the colorful arrows are inserted in your right shoulder, symbolizing the right side to carry on the family line; Colored arrows are inserted in your arms, symbolizing the succession in your arms; Colorful arrows are inserted in the head, which is a symbol that you can wear gold and silver jewelry on your head.

The ceremony of marrying the bride

When the bride is about to enter the door, all the people who marry the bride will secretly throw valuables outside the wedding home to prevent the stench brought by the bride. If the person who saw the bride off saw it, he would chase the person who threw valuables and push down the black stone in the cursed black and white sacred stone before he got to the door. At this time, the eulogy was read: "The white sacred stone on the left is preserved by the sacred edge, wrapped in white Hada, and does good deeds to realize good wishes; The black magic stone on the right, wrapped in a black cloth bag, is a symbol of disaster relief. " Then, when they arrived at the door, two winemakers stood on both sides of the door, raised their silver cups to make a toast, and began to sing Xie Qin (an auspicious song usually sung at weddings). At this time, they sent their relatives down from Mara's good bride's saddle and asked her to dismount and look at her mat. Then the person who saw off asked the person who greeted the wedding: "Is there any wheat, highland barley, adzuki beans, satin, tiger skin and leopard skin sprinkled on the bride's cushion?" Answer: "Both". Then the person who sent the bride said that if everything was arranged, the bride would get on the bus at once.