Marriage Customs in Luoyang, Henan Province

The marriage customs in Luoyang follow the "Six Rites" procedures stipulated in the Book of Rites (asking names, winning prizes, accepting levies, inviting guests and welcoming relatives). With the changes of the times, the progress of society and the development of civilization, some marriage customs in Luoyang have been gradually abandoned, but the basic procedures of marriage customs in Luoyang have been passed down to this day. Luoyang is the ancient capital of the 13th Dynasty, with a capital of one thousand years. It has been a political, cultural and economic center for thousands of years, so the marriage custom centered on Luoyang has spread all over the country with the development of society. The marriage customs in Luoyang are roughly as follows:

(1) discussing marriage

In Luoyang, western Henan, a matchmaker is usually found for the man's family, and the matchmaker is invited to propose marriage to the woman's family and introduce the man's basic situation and economic situation to the woman's family. After the woman's family is satisfied, the woman's parents go to the man's "home". After marriage is generally agreed, the matchmaker and both parents will hold a banquet at the man's house. At the banquet, both men and women will solemnly exchange birthday stickers for men and women, and then raise a glass to celebrate, and get married forever.

(2) Engagement

That is, Naji and Zheng Na in ancient times. After a good omen, a matchmaker is sent to a woman's house to exchange invitations. First, exchange "more iron". In addition, the man also gives the bride price, commonly known as the "four-color bride price", mostly clothes and snacks used by the woman. The woman gave pen and ink, stationery and folding fans to the man, hoping to become a gifted scholar.

(3) Marriage

Usually we have to go through the process of posting, giving gifts, sending wedding dresses and getting married.

Post it. Also called "send". That is, after the two parties reach the age of marriage, the man should ask someone to choose the wedding date (commonly known as "good day"), and then write the selected auspicious day (good day) in the "book" to tell the woman this auspicious day and let her prepare for the wedding. If the woman agrees, she can accept the letter of appointment. Luoyang people often choose "auspicious days on the ecliptic" or the third, sixth and ninth days of the lunar calendar.

Gift. Half a month or ten days before the wedding, the man must give the bride a bride price, including clothes, shoes and socks, suits, cosmetics, jewelry, meat, snacks, pasta and so on.

Prepare a dowry. Preparing dowry is the main thing for a woman before marriage, which has always been valued by people. The amount of dowry often determines the future bride's position in her husband's family. The woman with good family economic conditions prepares a rich and complete dowry, and the man with poor economic conditions carries it to the woman's house before marriage and carries it back on the wedding day. There are also cases where the man pays the woman to buy it.

Dowry is given on the day before or on the wedding day. Before the dowry, the man gave a plate of meat rice, commonly known as "leaving the mother and leaving the mother's meat." When the dowry is carried to the husband's house, the makeup artist will give the key to the groom's mother.

Prepare a new house. The night before the wedding, a woman selected by her husband's family made the bed for the bride, and sprinkled peanuts, chestnuts, ginkgo, walnuts, red dates and other things on the bed, symbolizing the birth of a baby son and the "flowering" of a man and a woman. The husband and wife's bedding, the man must let both sides have children and the husband and wife's woman sew with red thread, and the number of quilts is even. That night, a healthy boy of the man's next of kin will sleep in a new bed, commonly known as "pressing the bed", which means that the bride will soon give birth to a fat boy.

Get married. On the morning of the wedding, the bride dressed up and waited for the man to get married. The bride got into the sedan chair and couldn't land on her feet. The groom will pick her up and put her in a sedan chair. The wedding team will set off on the road with the accompaniment of the band, and the wedding will not take the same route back and forth. Whenever the sedan chair arrives at intersections, big trees, dry wells and ancient temples, firecrackers should be set off to ward off evil spirits.

When the car arrives at the door of the man's house, the man's house will set off firecrackers immediately. With the help of the hostess, the bride stepped on the red carpet and entered the door. The man sprinkled hay, colored paper and sugar, peanuts, dates, copper coins and other things on the bride, and the children earned it to express their excitement. Then a ceremony was held: a couple worshiped heaven and earth, two parents and three husband and wife, and then the bride was sent to the bridal chamber. The ceremony must be held before noon 12, and it is considered unlucky after noon 12.

Noisy Rooms According to the custom, three nights before the wedding, the whole village, old and young, regardless of generation, will gather in the bride's room to have a wedding, so as to increase the atmosphere of the wedding. As the saying goes, "three days, big or small." But when the elders are more disciplined, they just look and smile to create an atmosphere. The craziest people are mainly the brothers and sisters in the neighborhood. When the new wife is most worried about the trouble in the bridal chamber, the timid and cowardly will often be frightened, and make psychological preparations a few days in advance.

The listening room is "listening to sex". After the dead of night, the newlyweds will blow out the lights and have a rest. The most secret and exciting thing is the excitement and shy behavior on the wedding night. Those little brothers who have never been married always ask about three or five people to hide under the window behind the house and eavesdrop.

Back to the door. The day after marriage is the day when the parents of the new wife visit their daughter. The bride's family brought four-color gifts to the man's family, and the man's family gave a banquet to entertain the gifts. On the third day after marriage, it is the day when the newly married wife goes home. This morning, the groom accompanied the bride back to her family.