Zhangzhou side of the woman married what customs?

One, the conventional marriage

In ancient times, Zhangzhou, the marriage of the basic according to the traditional "six rituals" to carry out. Once served as governor of Zhangzhou Zhu Xi advocated the deletion of the ancient rituals, the Qing dynasty Zhangzhou Cai Shiyuan said, "I Min dim (wedding) rituals by the natsui, natsui, please period and pro welcome". It can be seen that at that time, the six rites of passage "asking for the name" was incorporated into "Nacai", and "Naji" and "Najing" were combined into "Najing". and "Naji" and "Nazheng" were combined into "Nacai". According to the Cai's collection of "Zhu Zi Family Rites", the wedding program for: "will be faint, the master told the ancestral hall, so the wine Jiao his son and admonition, the son to receive wine kneeling to listen to the admonition of ...... "This should be for the House of Poetry and Books set up. Folk marriage is more focused on the material form, rituals and customs are very complicated, and regional differences.

(A) discuss marriage

The discussion of marriage is equivalent to the ancient "Nacai" and "ask the name". In the old days, Zhangzhou's marriage is very important to the matchmaker, "although the world contract, non-matchmakers do not conclude". The matchmaker is the key person in the marriage negotiation stage.

1. Exploring the family style

Also known as the "family style" and "family style". In the formal marriage before, both men and women should try to understand each other's family situation, especially the woman is more careful, beforehand to ask their relatives to go to the male family to explore the wind, to understand the other family members of the person, and to find out their economic situation.

2.courting

The man prepares a name tag and gift, and lets the matchmaker go to the woman's home to ask for marriage. The woman agreed to propose marriage will accept the gift, and will be married to the girl's birth date written on red paper (Hakka white paper), generally write "Kun Zao year so and so month so and so day so and so," as a gung post to the matchmaker to the man.

3. Marriage

The man received the woman's gung post placed on the gods, ancestors case divination, and then the woman's gung post in the incense burner placed under the table for three days. During this period, such as human and animal peace, no quarrels, illness or broken dishes and other love affairs, can be said to be "three days round" or "three days good". Three days later, please fortune-teller "marriage", according to the birth of both men and women to determine whether the two are suitable for marriage. In the old days, after the birth of their daughters, if the birth is not perfect, parents asked the fortune-teller to forge a prosperous husband, prosperous family, full of wealth reservoir of good "eight characters", so the proverb: "men's lives are not false, women's lives are not real. The marriage is purely a matter of self-deception.

If the two sides of the fate of the match, the man will be their own post and prepare gift cakes, red packets to the woman. Geng post is usually sent to the man's uncle, pick loaded with gift cakes and red envelopes of money in a red lacquer bamboo basket, to the woman's home from the door straight up to the hall, will be red basket on the table, told the woman's ancestors that there are people to the word of their offspring to propose marriage. The parents of the woman's ancestors after worship to open the post, but also asked the fortune-teller to marry.

4. Matchmaking

After the marriage, both sides prepared gifts, and the matchmaker accompanied the elders to the other side's home for matchmaking. The girl must personally receive the man's guests, serving tea and honoring the guests.

The two sides are satisfied with each other can be betrothed, by the parents of both sides to agree on the bride price, bride price and trousseau thickness, and roughly determine the date of completion of the marriage. The date of marriage is preferred to be set in the year of the dragon, but not in the year of the tiger. The seventh month of the lunar calendar is the month of ghosts, and the wedding date will not be set in this month. The age of the man and woman together exactly 50 years old will not be married. Hakka people in the third and sixth months of the lunar calendar to avoid proposing marriage, do not marry, there is "Tianshui Bai, inauspicious" said.

After the two sides reached an agreement, the woman issued a gift list.

(2) betrothal

The betrothal is equivalent to the ancient "Naji", "Nazheng" and "please period", which is considered as the beginning of the wedding ceremony. From this point on until some time after the wedding, men and women and their relatives are not allowed to participate in funerals, so as to avoid "red and white conflict", which is detrimental to the happy family. Engagement includes the following rituals:

1. Engagement

Also known as "over the fixed", "food fixed", "under the fixed", " Wen Ding" or "send Ding". Male female elders accompanied by the matchmaker, in the chosen auspicious day will be agreed upon gifts sent to the female family as a fixed engagement. Gifts are generally fabrics, candles, sugar, thread, orange cake, betel nut, ?N leaves, lotus seeds, pork, gift cakes, peanut sugar, tobacco and alcohol, as well as rings and jewelry, often into 12 colors.

The woman's family should entertain the male guests with ice-sugar tea and sugar glutinous rice porridge, and the woman to be married should go up to the hall to serve sweet tea. Guests to accept sweet tea should send a red envelope for the "pressure tea ou" gift. Female parents will be sent by the male side of the ring on the finger of the girl to be married, to complete the "food fixed" ceremony.

When the male guests leave, the woman should return the joint towel (two together face towel) and other gifts. At the same time, both men and women should give gift cakes and candies to their friends and neighbors to show that the marriage has been settled.

2. The marriage ceremony

It is also known as "hiring" or "sending a big decision". The man's family sends the agreed-upon bride price to the woman's family on an auspicious day. The bride price is emphasized in pairs, including the even number of people who send the bride price, the cage and the stretcher of the bride price should be labeled with red paper, and the eldest member of the male family picks a stretcher and walks in the forefront.

The bride price includes a wedding book, gold, silk, livestock, bride price, jewelry, fabrics, dresses, gift cakes, whole pigs, wine, chickens and ducks, sugar, red rounds and other cakes. sugar, red rounds and other pastries. Among them, the number of gift cakes, sugar and pastries is determined by the woman. Sugar and pastries are determined by the woman to ensure that there are enough to distribute to the woman's relatives, friends and neighbors. In addition, each household is required to present a bowl of red dumplings. In some places, only the wedding book and gold, silk and sacrificial gifts, etc., dresses and other agreed upon gifts from the male party to send another time, known as the "Zoroastrian".

The male party to send gifts should be open invitation, listing the number of gifts. Such as: a pair of wedding books, a number of bride price, a hairpin, two chickens and ducks. Should be written on the "wedding book into the pass, the bride-price full seal, hairpin full vice, German birds into a pair, the family mallard four wings" and other words. When the bride price is delivered, the woman's home to welcome the cannon, to gifts to honor the ancestors, and in accordance with the rituals to receive people. The woman can not accept all the gifts, to cut off the ribs and pig's feet for the male guests to bring back, known as the "bottom of the basket" or "return trip". The woman may also give back other gifts, such as the groom's clothes, shoes and socks, the future aunt's shoes and socks, and so on.

After receiving the bride price, the woman has to prepare the dowry. The dowry of the rich family is called "the whole hall surface", including the daughter's lifelong use of goods, from small toilet, needle and thread, to large deeds of land, deeds, and even coffins and life clothes, known as "life and death do not ask for people". In the old days, rich families married off their daughters with "□(Yin Gan)" (concubine maid) as dowry. The poor family dowry is only "half hall surface": a few sets of clothes, pollen, mirror trousseau, scissors, ruler, quilt, tent and some daily necessities. The dowry usually includes a toilet, which is a symbol of an early birth. In addition to prepare a pair of "road with the chicken" as a dowry, road with the chicken should be selected just crowing rooster and the hen will lay eggs. The day of the wedding with a red head rope or red satin, each end of the bundle of a chicken's feet, so that the rooster and hen side by side and squatting, loaded into the new rice basket, by the bride with (bridesmaids) mentioned the groom's home.

3. Sending day

Men choose an auspicious day to meet the bride and the woman agreed to write a red post officially notify the woman of the date of marriage and sedan chair should be avoided when the people of the genus of the collision, and then act according to the rituals. Thus, there is a saying: "next door to do affection, etiquette in accordance with the line."

(1) add makeup and add Ding

After the hiring, both men and women have to send gift cakes and candies to their friends and neighbors. After the day of delivery, the woman's friends and relatives to send red packets or gifts to the woman's home, called "add makeup"; the man's friends and relatives to send red packets or gifts for the man "add Ding". The gifts must be delivered before the wedding day, otherwise it is unlucky and the wedding family will not accept them.

(2) Tailoring Wedding Clothes

After the day of delivery, both men and women should choose a day to worship the gods and offer incense, and then tailor the wedding clothes, which is called "opening and cutting". In addition to the dress, but also cut the bride and groom's white underwear. After the wedding, the bride should properly collect this set of underwear, until her death and then change into this set of underwear into the coffin. It is said that this move contains the meaning of chastity; it is also said that Chen Yuanguang entered Zhangzhang and advocated the intermarriage of Han and She, when the She men were killed in battle, the She women agreed to wear white underwear to mourn the dead. The bride's wedding clothes are red jacket and red skirt, with embroidered red shoes, and the clothes should be embroidered with "?" shape for good luck. shape to pray for good luck, commonly known as "playing the word".

(3) pull the face

The bride should choose a day before the wedding to worship God on incense, please professional women for its "pull the face", that is, with a fine line cross twisted off the bride's face hair. Commonly known as "open face", indicating that the adult out of the cabinet.

(4) bed

Before the marriage of the male family to the cave room is properly arranged, first of all, to choose an auspicious day to bed hanging tents. The bed must be placed in the direction of the beams, otherwise known as the "Tambourine", unlucky. After the bed is ready to invite one or two dragon (followed by the snake) boys climbed on the new bed roll play, symbolizing the bride even birth, said "turn the bed".

Cutting the wedding clothes, pulling the face and bed can not let the widow, Tiger women to participate or watch. Congratulatory couplets, hanging scrolls and other gifts from friends and relatives should be displayed in the hall, and the hanging scroll sent by the groom's uncle should be hung in the center of the hall. Three pinches of incense and a pair of red candles should be lit in the hall.

On the eve of the wedding, the woman's parents will be invited to the man's home to decorate the bridal chamber with new bedding, mirror trousseau, chest and cabinets. Before the wedding, the groom can not spend the night alone in the new room, there must be one or two men of the same generation to sleep with, known as "warm room". Sleeping companion preferred for the dragon, avoid choosing the tiger.

(C) finished marriage

In accordance with the orthodox family rituals, the wedding "pro welcome" is one of the six rites of passage, is greatly valued. But Zhangzhou in the Qing Dynasty, "the customs of the countryside are not personally welcome," has not emphasized the groom to marry the bride, many are invited to "good fortune" (the blessing of the person) on behalf of the door to meet the bride. But the details of the marriage is very careful, meticulous.

1. The bride's departure

The bride's departure ceremony is complicated, and different counties (districts) vary. In the Qing Dynasty, Zhangzhou married women to have "nanny wing to line. Everywhere there are women who specialize in hosting such ceremonies, known as the "marriage". She has to accompany the bride to the husband's home, all the ceremonies hosted and guided by her.

(1) The Head

The bride is bathed in a soup of fragrant flowers and pomegranate leaves on the day of her marriage and puts on her wedding clothes. The bridegroom invites the bride to walk to the hall, singing as he does so, "Please come out of the hall, and be a man of good reputation." After the bride comes out, the bridegroom takes the bride by the hand and sits her down on an inverted bucket of rice in the hall's large R□ (sound of two) (a shallow, flat, round basket made of gabions and used for drying grains), singing, "Sitting on the right side of the table, the bride will be loved by others." Then the elders or the "lucky" women comb her hair, pin her hair in a bun, and put flowers on her head, which is called "Shangtou" (head-dressing). In some cases, the mother (or other female elders if the mother is not present) puts jewelry on her head in front of the shrine in the hall to show that she has brought up an adult. This ceremony is a remnant of the ancient maturity ceremony. The bride will also wear a phoenix crown, some places to insert jasmine grass on the head to get rid of evil spirits, insert pomegranate heart leaves to show that more knot your son, insert early rice ears to show that the early child.

After the bride is dressed, the whole family gathers to eat a farewell banquet. The feast is a fixed 12-course meal, known as the "Twelve Bowls of Round". After the meal, the bride says goodbye to her friends and relatives, and then retires to her inner room.

(2) Sedan chair

Men welcome the marriage team to the bride, after the bridesmaids repeatedly urged, the bride with a small mirror with a brake and a bag loaded with a symbol of "even birth, a hundred children and thousands of grandchildren" lotus seeds, peanuts, osmanthus, pomegranates, jasmine hearts and other good luck, out of the hall to the gods, the gods and ancestors kneeling to say goodbye to both parents. and their parents.

Parents cover their daughters' heads, and the bridegroom sings, "The scarf covers the head, and the bride is a wise and capable son-in-law." Family members will be lit firecrackers thrown on the roof, and use the rice sieve to cover the bride's head, so that the bride does not see the sun, parents then help the bride on the sedan chair.

Inside the sedan chair, there are more red rounds and winter melon candy, the bride all the way to throw the winter melon candy, meaning that this road can always come and go.

(3) leaving home

The bride on the sedan chair, that is, from the sedan chair threw out a paper fan, called "put sex ground (temper)". Father will be a bowl of water to the sedan chair, which is the ancient custom of marrying a woman to avoid "big return" (backtracking).

The sedan chair started, the bride should be in the sedan chair bawling, so-called "crying good life", "crying prosperity". At the same time, the bride's family immediately closed the door or a rice sieve to block the door, and in some places the bride's mother has to sit on the threshold, so as to avoid the bride's family's fortune, the earth's gas was taken away, but also means that the bride to avoid backtracking.

2. Welcome

Old times, to welcome the bride to use the sedan chair. 20 years, Zhangzhou city to open up the road, began to welcome the bride to the horse-drawn carriage; and later changed to use the yellow car, bicycle, car to welcome the bride. Rural areas in the 1950s to gradually abandon the sedan chair, to take the passenger car to meet the bride; 70 years after the popular bicycle, tractor or car to meet the bride.

Welcoming relatives to choose an auspicious time to leave, usually arranged in the early hours of the morning. Before going on the road, the people concerned to eat a banquet, there are 12 dishes on the table, including a plate of roasted carp shall not move, the rest of the plate everyone must eat.

In the old days, the rich family to meet the marriage team on the road by two servants to hold a pair of red lanterns writing the family name in front of the team to guide, followed by the eight-note band, a dowry to send the oilcloth sedan chair, five to the bridesmaids and the younger uncle sitting in the red color of the bamboo curtain sedan chair, a top to the groom to sit in the official sedan chair without hanging bamboo curtains slightly decorated, a top of the four people to carry the decorations of exquisite sedan chair, and finally is the full of gifts, dowry to carry the □ (box, loaded with gifts) The last one is the dowry box (a large wooden box for gifts). The number of boxes of 12 boxes, 24 boxes, up to 60 boxes, commonly known as "hundred two kong" (120 people carry). General civilian marriage procession only one or two sedan chair, band and carry the number of box is also small, by the two boys with the root of the leaves of the sugar cane each pick a pair of red lanterns in front of the team, the team last one picking the bag, containing the bucket and the bucket of children and grandchildren (birth pots). In some places, the bride-welcoming team is made up of people who walk at the end of the procession. Most of the "drag Qing" is a boy, drag is complete branches of pine or banyan branches, some drag head and tail complete fresh bamboo.

When the bridegrooming party arrives at the door of the woman's house, firecrackers are set off. After three bursts of firecrackers, the woman's family opens the door and invites the procession to enter. The man's family sends two salutes, one reading "Marriage of Two Families" and the other "A Hundred Sons and a Thousand Grandchildren". The woman's family takes in the "marriage of two surnames" and gives the "one hundred children and one thousand grandchildren" one back to the man's family.

Next, the woman's family hosts a banquet to welcome the bridegroom. The male side to accompany the groom to meet the bride "robe frame" (bridesmaids) in the booth to try to steal two wine cups, brought back to the male family in the bridal chamber under the new bed, said to make the bride give birth to a son. Women's home on the male bridesmaids to steal wine cups to pretend not to find.

Eat a banquet, the male groomsmen urged the bride on the sedan chair. The bride to find a variety of excuses to put off, after several times urged to go out of the hall ready to depart. After the bride on the sedan chair, the bridegroom's team took the dowry, sometimes with the woman ready to bring to the in-laws planted with the root of the bamboo, return to the male family. If the woman has a servant girl with the dowry, she will also go with the bride in the sedan chair. Hakka custom, the woman should be held in the hands of "fire dragon" (torch) to send the marriage with the trip, called "open road brake".

Welcome the wedding party along the way drums and blowing (musical instruments), each through the village, temples, bridges should be fired across the road. To the male door to the sedan chair will be parked on a large side of the R□ (sound of the two), waiting for the auspicious time. Good time to arrive, the groom to kick the sedan chair door, so that the bride startled, it is said that the groom will not be afraid of the future. Sending the bridegroom to open the door of the sedan chair, the younger uncle to hold a red lacquer plate with two red mandarin please the bride off the sedan chair, the bride returned to the red envelope. Then by the "good life" (high longevity, many children and grandchildren, husband and wife) of the old woman to help the bride out of the sedan chair. The bridegroom sings: "The bride steps on the earth, the birth of a girl good girl mold; step Yi in (stable), the birth of a girl fat lion lion." At the same time, some elders use the rice sieve (now more umbrellas) with gossip to cover the bride's head, and others spread red carpets or new mats or red-dyed sacks on the ground to let the bride walk through the door.

The bridegroom followed the bride into the gate, the mouth to sing good words, such as over the threshold singing: "over the door? (sound fixed, door), have to eat and have to wear" and so on. Bride into the door of the etiquette in Zhangzhou varies from place to place: some places at the moment to the fire in the hearth doused with water, and do not allow the bride to step on the threshold, so as to avoid the bride's temper, driving over others. In the event that the bride stepped on the threshold to go, will secretly lift the rice sieve in her head to lower the pressure on the crown, so that she is frightened to break this trick. In some places, on the contrary, to build a charcoal stove or burn a handful of straw, so that the bride "across the fire Kaoru", and to the bride to step on the threshold. Some places when the bride to the door of the elders to temporarily avoid, so as to avoid "collision". Hakka people when the bride to enter the door to slaughter a chicken, in front of the door to put a few bowls for the bride to cross, said "stop the door chicken.

If the bride's birth characters in the crime of "broken family" or "broken in-laws", the wedding hosts will be at the gate in advance to put a piece of intact tile, the bride stepped on a broken tile, next to the people then said: "It's all broken! It's all broken!" This is to avoid the defects in the eight characters.

3. Marriage

The Zhangzhou marriage ceremony consists roughly of the ancient worship and fm radio. The man has to hire an insider to conduct the ceremony, called a "steward".

After the bride enters the house, the steward holds a round bucket in his hand and guides the bride to the hall by singing good words and scattering grains in the bucket as he walks. The steward sings loudly, the new couple first worship heaven and earth, and then worship parents, and then husband and wife to worship into the ceremony.

After worship in the bridegroom under the guidance of the bridegroom to red satin to lead the bride into the bridal chamber, both sitting on the edge of the bed, while the hall fired a cannon, began to feast guests.

The bride into the bridal chamber, the groom's family to put the road chicken under the bed, and then sprinkle rice to lure, and find ways to make the rooster came out first, the bride's first baby boy omen. The hen laying eggs within a day or two is also seen as a good omen for the bride's early birth and childbearing. Marriage Sending M in the bridal chamber before and after the non-stop singing good words, she taught the groom to use the scales to pick off the bride's head of the red or black silk cover, and guide the new couple to eat in the bridal chamber by the 12 dishes composed of the "bride's table". The bridegroom pours wine into a pair of wine cups linked by a red thread, and the new couple passes the cups to each other and drinks the fm radio wine together. Then, the bridegroom and the bride are given dishes to eat, and every time they eat a dish, she sings an auspicious word related to the dish. The 12 dishes signify 12 months, and every month is full of happiness. The "Good Fortune Man" lights a pair of red candles in the bridal chamber. From this night onwards, the light in the bridal chamber will be kept on all night for 13 consecutive nights.

The groom's uncle sits at the head of the banquet in the hall, and the groom's father, as the host, makes a toast to the guests. After three rounds of wine, the bride and groom to come out to toast, the end of the seat to send off the guests, to the door and stop. In some places, the bride has to stay in the cave, only by the groom and parents to come out to toast. In the Hakka wedding banquet, by the bride's uncle or brother sitting in the chief.

During the Qing Dynasty, Zhangzhou had the custom of watching the bride and haunting the cave. "On the day of the first wedding, relatives and friends crowded in, demanding to see the new bride and mocking the new son-in-law." After the wedding banquet, the new couple sat on the edge of the bed, male left and female right, the middle of the insertion of a boy, the bridegroom and others to sit, one or two boys on the bed tumbling and jumping playful, to symbolize the bride's early birth of a noble son. The bride to the crowd to distribute candy, peanuts, candied fruit, etc., the crowd ate while reading songs of auspicious words. In order to increase the festive atmosphere, anyone can feel free to joke with the bride, the bride must be seated at the end of the family and friends to watch, laugh and joke, by the marriage to cope with everything. Cave participants do not have to stick to their own generation and status, so there is a proverb: "caveman, no big fine." However, they are not allowed to stand on the threshold or bring umbrellas into the bridal chamber.

After the people in the bridal chamber, the younger uncle into the sweet dumplings, said "round", the bride should be rewarded with a red envelope, and then eat with the groom round. In some places, the round by the bride and groom personally rolled into. After eating the round, to send the marriage of the M exit, the new couple can rest.

Some places, the wedding in the "bride table" furnishings and sacrifices to the dead similar to the table, the wedding bed to lay the straw mat is also buried dead supplies, these two people want to grow old together, to death. Groom bride made of white cloth, three days after the wedding, wash and collect, in order to prepare for the death and then close to wear, this custom is also related to the concept of chastity and mutual loyalty.

(4) after the wedding

After the wedding, the happy event is not considered to be finished, and thereafter not allowed to participate in other people's red and white activities within four months. At the same time, also avoided within the family of happy events "collision". Within a year, there can not be two happy events at home, such as children in two marriages, or a marriage a birth; in this case must try to add a happy event, commonly known as "three dozen scattered", there is no taboo.

In the Qing Dynasty, the old custom in Zhangzhou, after the fm radio, "the more parents hold the soup cake? A skip is given to the fm radio. Three days after the temple to see, see after spinning horse, is to perform women's affairs. Later, the post-wedding etiquette gradually changed.

1. Out of the hall

The second day of the wedding, the bride in the cock crows when the bride will be out of the cave, wash and grooming, ready to formally participate in the in-laws of the family life.

The bride will first make a four-fruit soup, or sweet tea with dried cinnamon or honeyed jujubes, in preparation for the "worship tea". When the whole house of the elders on the hall, the bride will go to the hall to worship ancestors and gods, and then sweet tea to honor the elders, and from the mother's family to bring shoes to the in-laws, and then the in-laws lead the bride to meet with the whole family. Bye tea that is the ancient "temple to see" the legacy of rituals, the elders to accept the bride to worship sweet tea to be pressed in the tea tray on the red envelope. The red packet money from the tea ceremony is routinely returned to the bride's private property.

After the tea ceremony, the bride was accompanied by the bridegroom to the kitchen to take charge of the first cooking. The bride has to cook the first meal, to show their hands; in addition to feeding pigs, chickens, pounding rice, to show their diligence. The latter is sometimes only symbolic, the bride only pounded a few rice, sprinkle a handful of grain, stir slop tank.

Every time the bride does something or performs an action, the bridegroom has to sing an auspicious word for this kind of chore next to her. For example, when the bride stirs the slop jar, she should say, "Stir Pan (slop) and it will float, and it will feed the pigs and the cows."

2. Room visit

The third day of marriage, the bride's younger brother to sit in a sedan chair to visit his brother-in-law's home, commonly known as "uncle to visit the room", is the ancient "? The "female" legacy of custom.

The uncle with sugar, cake, powder, hair oil and a basket of flowers or paper pomegranate flowers, straight into the new room, put the gifts on the bed, and invited his sister to return to the bride's home as a guest. The mother-in-law's family should hold a banquet to entertain A-uncle in a grand manner.

3. Returning to Ning

After the wedding, the bride should return to her mother's home, commonly known as the "guest". The new son-in-law should sometimes be accompanied, commonly known as "return gift". The bridegroom also accompanied the bride back to the door at the same time, thus completing her task.

The fourth day after the wedding (in some places, the seventh day) the bride's first homecoming, commonly known as "do the head swing (second) guest", the Hakka people are called "turn to the court". According to the new son-in-law to accompany and prepare incense and candles, ceremonial cannons, gift cakes, pig's feet and other gifts. On the road, such as brother-in-law counterparts, the uncle sedan chair in the front, the new couple in the back. If you walk the groom to follow the bride, commonly known as "while (follow) a (wife) to eat".

To the bride's home when the parents-in-law to the door to welcome the bride into the old boudoir after the entrance and the ladies talk about the family, the groom stayed in the hall to accept the hospitality of sweet tea. The father-in-law should lead the son-in-law to meet with friends and relatives. Some local custom, the groom to red packets to the in-laws of the relatives. It is customary for the parents-in-law to host a banquet at noon, with the son-in-law sitting at the head table in the hall; the bride sits at the head table in the inner room, accompanied by other female relatives.

After the banquet is dispersed, the new couple should take a break and return. Return to the male sedan chair in the front, the female sedan chair in the back. For the first time the new couple shall not spend the night in the house of the parents-in-law, if indeed because of the need to stay overnight on the way back, but also shall not share the same bed, otherwise it is unfavorable to the mother's family.

When a daughter returns to her mother-in-law's home as a guest, the mother's family should present fabrics, sweet sticky rice with pomegranate branches, a pair of sugar cane with leaves on the red paper hoop, a pair or a nest of chickens with red cloth tied to their feet. Chicks with a small bamboo cage, hanging in front of the sedan chair (or car), commonly known as "lead the way chicken". Some places also give a pair of piglets, called "with the road pig". In some places, the bride's family to send a brother-in-law to hold a bottle of peanut oil to accompany the bride back to the in-laws; peanut oil is to add lamp oil, meaning that as soon as possible to add children.

According to the old custom, the bride 12 days after the wedding and a month after the wedding should also return to the Ning once, back and forth to carry gifts. But the husband and son-in-law is not necessarily accompanied, and the bride can stay in the mother's home for a few days. Later, the bride will return to her mother's home as a matter of course, without having to observe any special etiquette.

Second, unconventional wedding customs

(a) child bride

Zhangzhou commonly known as "new woman child". Poor people will sell their daughters to others as a new woman child often have to go through the middle man, to write the deed of sale. Some families give their daughters to others as new women because they have too many babies, but they don't write the deed of sale and don't charge a price for their daughters.

Poor families who can not afford the bride price and wedding expenses, they will adopt a young girl in advance, and when she comes of age and their own son to marry, commonly known as "top pair". At that time, the parents choose an auspicious day to let her return to her biological parents' home or to be entrusted to the home of a relative or friend, and hold a simple wedding ceremony to marry their son. If they can't afford to hold a wedding, the fm radio will be fm radioed on New Year's Eve in 12 bowls of glutinous rice, which is called "twenty-nine years old".

If the head of the family does not have a son, he or she will adopt a new wife and give birth to a son in the future and marry them when they grow up, which is commonly called "Pressing the Flower Branch". If the head of the family never had a son, he would bring in a man to marry the new woman, commonly known as "the new woman after the child."

Wealthy people buy new women as maidservants, and when they grow up, they are married off by their masters, who take back the price of their bodies.

Before the founding of New China, the people's power in the old revolutionary areas explicitly abolished child brides, who turned over and married on their own.

The Marriage Law promulgated in the 1950s prohibited the adoption of child brides. However, there were still child brides in the countryside until the 1970s, some of them in the form of adopted daughters under false pretenses. As a result of the family planning policy, the custom of raising child brides disappeared in the 1980s.

(2) into the family

Old times, the man to the woman's home to get married, known as "be recruited", or called "hanging lamp". There are several reasons for women to recruit husbands: women lack heirs, need to recruit men to pass on the family; women's parents love their daughters, can not bear to be married off; women have land and the lack of labor; widows can not bear to leave their loved ones, recruiting husbands to maintain the family life, and so on.

Men are often recruited because of economic difficulties, they can not afford to take a wife and have to rely on the woman. The son-in-law's status in the family is not high, the birth of a son to his wife's surname, slightly capable men are not willing to join the female family. As a result, most of the son-in-laws are not of high quality, and some of them are lazy. Therefore, the proverb says: "Hired is not the work, recruited is not weng (husband)."

In general to "do word" (agreement), the contents of which include the marriage of the children's family name, the distribution of property inheritance, etc., mainly used to regulate the behavior of those who enter the family. In addition to the two sides to draw a seal, but also to ask witnesses to sign.

The wedding of the family is very simple, the man sends the woman some rice, cakes and so on will be considered betrothed. On the day of the wedding, the man sends the woman some silver dollars as bride-price and a few gift cakes as a gift for meeting, and then he can pay his respects to the bride, and after drinking the wedding wine, he is considered fm radio.

After the 1950s, the concept of equality between men and women in marriage and the concept of heirloom gradually weakened, and son-in-laws did not change their surnames, and children born to them could take their mother's name as well as their father's. After the implementation of the family planning policy, male son-in-laws were allowed to change their surnames. After the implementation of the family planning policy, men to women's homes gradually increased, the son-in-law is no longer discriminated against, the community has become accustomed to the family.

(C) in the table marriage

Brother's children and sister's children to marry, the Ming and Qing dynasties have been prohibited. But the folk believe that in the table marriage is "pro on pro", so it is repeatedly prohibited. Aunt cousin relatives mainly, the common thought of aunt and uncle blood too close, is not conducive to intermarriage, so there is "aunt table bones pro, aunt table halfway recognized" of the proverbs.

Feudal era prohibited intermarriage of the same surname, the formation of five services within the custom of not intermarrying. Later, the promotion of free love broke this custom; but in some places it was overkill, and the circle of intermarriage became smaller and smaller in some rural areas. The situation is even more serious, Hua'an Gao Shi, Yunxiao Wuluo natural villages under the jurisdiction of the same surname, due to the front of the house to marry the back of the house, the building to marry outside the building, the quality of the population is getting worse and worse. This problem has attracted the attention of the relevant departments.

(D) remarriage

Old times, the unequal status of men and women is particularly evident in the old custom of remarriage. It was a matter of course for a man to remarry when he was widowed, and for a woman to remarry when she was widowed (commonly known as "remarriage") was subject to social discrimination. If a man wants to remarry, he will hold an umbrella before burying his wife and carry a bag on his shoulder as if he is going out for a long trip, jumping over the coffin of his deceased wife and reciting "jumping over the coffin, walking through the Pan (down to the South Seas)" or "I have been to the Pan" or "I want to go back to Tangshan" (I want to go back to the Tangshan). Tangshan" (return from the South Seas), and then jump over a fire. It is believed that so, the ghost of the deceased wife will not come to haunt, the so-called "jumping coffins to go through the pass, jumping fire all right tail".

Women who have lost their husbands should remain widowed for life, and if they want to remarry, they must obtain the consent of the original in-laws, and the new in-laws must meet the requirements of the original in-laws and write a marriage contract. Widows should first return to their mother's home before remarrying, before traveling to the deceased husband's spirit card flip, or cover up with a cloth, so as not to follow the ghosts of the haunted. Widows are married at night, through the back door, without a wedding ceremony. Neighbors also close their doors to avoid bad luck. Widows who remarry have to jump over the fire at the crossroads and burn their double (straw man).

With the progress of the times, the remarriage of widows has been understood and respected by the society and allowed by the law, and the custom of jumping over the coffin and burning the double has died out on its own.

(E) Shunxiao marriage

Men and women are engaged to marry after the death of either party's immediate elders, has been engaged to the marriage of the younger generation can be completed in their dying moments or just when the gas is cut off, the wedding can be simplified, the funeral and happy to do at the same time, that is, so-called "feet tail straight (pharyngeal gas) free to look for the day". This move is in the funeral procession more than one "adult" offspring, to show that the deceased "good life", so that the funeral ceremony style. If you can't get married, you have to postpone the wedding until after three years of mourning.

Nowadays, the three-year mourning period is not emphasized, so no one holds the Shunxiao wedding anymore.

(F) the marriage

also known as "with the relatives of the Yin", is a feudal society, the patriarchal system of marriage aberrant form. During the Republican period, Zhangzhou also repeatedly such ridiculous marriage.

Holding the main worship after the marriage of the death of a man, if the woman is determined to widowhood, you can stay in the family for life, said the "lookout widow". There is also a woman to keep "Dengtang widow" or "over the door to keep the festival", that is, after the death of the fiancé, the woman is still over the door, by the sisters of the deceased to hold the deceased's God (wood main), and the fiancée to pay homage to the "marriage", and then to the cemetery to pay homage to the Lord of the Cemetery. "and then go to the cemetery to see the ghost husband. Thereafter, the woman will remain a widow in her in-laws' home, and her in-laws will adopt a boy for her in the clan, following the ancestral hall as the heir.

Marrying a Ghost WomanA woman dies unmarried, and her brother or young nephew searches for young men on the road to lure them with money to promise to marry a ghost woman. After agreeing on the terms and conditions of their people will be in accordance with the ancient rituals of recruitment, marriage, but the bride is made of paper, and then burn the paper people, the two families will be treated as in-laws to each other.

Burial marriage of unmarried children died young, parents to find a dead child of the opposite sex of the family, the two families if the agreement to let the pair of men and women who have not been married before the joint marriage, and choose an auspicious day to hold a "wedding". The woman's grave is opened, the woman's coffin is carried to the man's grave with her paper trousseau, the grave is opened, the coffin is lifted, a new room is set up with paper bed nets and other things, and finally the man's and woman's coffins are buried together side by side. Friends and relatives of both sides send medieval books as a congratulatory ceremony, and parents of both sides host a banquet and invite guests. From then on, the two families will combine the incense of the ghost couple into one, and maintain a long-term relationship with each other as in-laws.

Nowadays, with the progress of civilization, no matter what type of marriage, it is no longer prohibited.

(VII) Concubinage

Olden times, the rich and powerful have concubines, commonly known as "marrying a fine aunt". The status of the concubine is slightly higher than that of the concubine, and the concubine's parents are not treated as parents-in-law. The most common way to keep a concubine was to take a concubine as a concubine (□(音干))(wife's dowry maid), commonly known as the "barefooted one"; but this didn't change her status as a concubine, and even the concubine's children only called her "barefooted old mother".

There were also those who spent money to buy a daughter as a concubine from a poor family, commonly known as "buying in a Sister An"; there were also those who married women from opera houses, brothels or other classes of society as concubines. Marrying a concubine can only be carried by two people in a small sedan chair, and most do not hold a wedding, but some people hold a very ostentatious wedding, but in any case can not be compared to the ceremonies of marrying his wife.

In the 1950s, concubinage was prohibited, and some landlords and rich peasants' concubines filed divorce requests with the government and were granted permission.

In the late 1970s, polygamy was basically eliminated.

Since the mid-1980s, with the development of the economy, some rich people have kept their own private rooms, which are commonly known as "feeding Chumhum", and concubinage has re-emerged in disguise. reappeared.

Three, the boat family marriage customs

Boat families do not intermarry with land dwellers, the same name is not married. If there is a girl to be married on the ship, a pot of jasmine flowers should be placed on the bow deck. Boat households do not charge a bride price for the marriage of a daughter, even if the collection of money is used to do all the dowry. The bride does not sit in the sedan chair, the two families of the boat close together on the diving board on the door. But the wedding ceremony is still very solemn, worship of heaven and earth, worship of ancestors and gods, worship Zaojun, drink wine with the land family is no different. Boat households are drifting, and there is no custom of visiting each other's relatives during the annual festival.