An Introduction to Wedding Customs

In China, people of all ethnic groups have their own ethnic customs and festivals. People of all nationalities hold a variety of celebrations according to their own customs, with their own strong national unique style. Among them, wedding customs best represent the cultural characteristics of each ethnic group. In the old days (Ming and Qing dynasties), the wedding of the big family is very elaborate, the so-called line "six rituals" to complete the marriage, that is, Nacai, ask the name, Naji, Najing, please period, welcome the bride and so on.

Natsui - also known as the line recruitment, is the first gift in the wedding. The man with the proposal of gifts, sent to the woman's home, requesting the selection. Prior to this, the matchmaker has already set up a good, just a program, is considered to be a formal marriage proposal.

Ask for the name - the man with a gung invitation, write the name, year of birth, month, day, time, sent to the woman's home. The female party back to the name, birth year, month, day and time of the "return invitation". This is called asking for the name.

Naji - for the formal engagement ceremony. After asking the name, the two sides of the Geng, "counting the appropriate, set an auspicious date, the male side of the betrothal gifts sent to the woman's home, counted as a marriage has been finalized.

Na levy - that is, the meaning of the recruitment, after the betrothal, after a period of time, the age of both parties, the timing is suitable for marriage. The man will bring gifts to the woman's home to inform her that he is ready to marry.

Please period - after the Naozheng, the woman has no opinion, the man chose an auspicious day, write a welcome post, write a welcome day, when, requesting the woman to agree. The woman replied with her consent, and the last rite of passage was performed.

Welcome to the wedding - that is, into the wedding. On this day, the man went to the woman's home to welcome the bride through the door, and performed the fm radio ceremony.

In the old days, "asking for the name" of the "geng card" (also known as "geng post"), that is, eight post, is a small sheet of red paper. Folded into a large envelope. On the flap is written the word "geng letter".

The invitation to welcome the bride is also written on a piece of red paper.

The age of marriage is usually between "and 20 years old. Rich families tend to have young son-in-laws (10 to 16 years old) marrying older daughters-in-law. In the old days, big families talked about the right family, the words of matchmakers, parents' orders before marriage. The original version of the ancient marriage customs Leishan Miao marriage has its unique form and customs. Although society has entered the 21st century. But the way of marriage still retains the ancient customs. Ethnic customs, local flavor is still very strong. Usually the Miao marriage customs are divided into the following six kinds:

1, traditional marriage. This is the marriage made by the parents.

2. Cock-eyed marriage. This is living in the bridge port, palm batch, Taojiang and other places of the Miao wedding customs, young men and women grow up, matchmaking betrothal.

3, but also the head of the marriage. This is the aunt cousin married to uncle cousin that blood cousin marriage.

4, stealing relatives. Created by free love.

5, ancient customary marriage. This is a common wedding phenomenon in the new era.

6, halfway wine. This is another form of Miao wedding customs. General family wedding. Before the betrothal, the two sides first inquired about each other's gateway, including the gateway, the gateway, fox odor, sexually transmitted diseases, that the gateway is equivalent to the matchmaker from which the matchmaking. To be men and women's families agree, the matchmaker that is to take the woman's gung post, detailed female birth year, month, day, hour, sent to the male family. The male family to ask the fortune-teller or private school, according to the male and female eight characters to calculate the auspicious or not, the genus match or not, commonly known as the "marriage". Marriage is proper, reported to the woman's family. There is also a "son-in-law" and "daughter-in-law" before the wedding. After exchanging the post, the man's family prepares a banquet and invites the matchmaker to accompany the woman's parents and relatives to come to the house for a blind date. During the banquet, the future son-in-law comes out to pay his respects. A few days later, the woman's family prepares a banquet and invites the man's family to the woman's home for a blind date, during which the unmarried daughter-in-law comes out to pay her respects. After the two sides meet and agree, the man's family sends the betrothed to the woman's home, where the woman offers her hospitality. At this point, the formalization of marriage.

The male family wants to complete the marriage, please "Mr." (in the countryside to engage in stargazing, divination class of people) to see the "good" (that is, look at the day), selected the auspicious day, written on a piece of red paper, to buy two packets of snacks, please matchmakers to the female family to send, and with the female parents to discuss! The matchmaker was asked to deliver two packs of snacks to the woman's family and discuss the matter of "performing the ritual" with the woman's parents. When the woman agrees, she writes down the date of the ceremony. Some people call the ceremony "zhouzha," which refers to the rituals handed down from the Zhou Dynasty.

The man's family still takes two boxes of food, in which the bride price is more or less the same as that of Hsu Kou, but more of the clothing used by the woman in the marriage, the quantity and quality of which are more and better than that of Hsu Kou.

The day of the ceremony, if the woman's family is "biting the mouth", will be picky about how many gifts, good or bad, and even fault-finding, this time the incense can not be burned, the gun can not be released. Matchmaker if you can get through to the woman's home is just, if it is a big difference, the matchmaker had to make a special trip back to the man's home to say that the man's home, such as the acceptance of the promise to increase the gift, the woman's home is just. If the male family stingy, do not agree, the matchmaker has to do the work of both sides. Say no good, the male family food box can not return the same day, some in the female family parked three, five days long. In order to compete for the bride price, there are entanglements.

Generally, the woman's family in the day of the ceremony, set up a sumptuous feast (eight eight seats - eight plates and eight bowls), hospitality matchmaker. Most of the guests are uncles and aunts of the woman's family. Women's relatives to come, some send jewelry, clothing, etc., called "add box".

After the woman's family accepted the wedding day, the man's family began to organize the wedding should be things: set suona class, set sedan chair, set the master, cook, prepare food, and so on.

Welcome the wedding day the most red hot

Men's family is divided into two sets of people: one for the hospitality of the guests of a class of people, there are accounting, cooking, food, picking up buns, custody, hospitality, wipe the table, wash dishes, such as twenty or thirty people, collectively arranged by the chief, posted beforehand a list of deacons, each in their own way. First, a group of people to welcome the family. Lu's choice to meet the guest is more delicate, there is "aunt not welcome, aunt not send, oh, titillate reality to jump forward" said. Too early in the morning, the first to go to the woman's home several people, will be accompanied by trousseau lift back, commonly known as "lift box". After that, the class accompanied the groom to meet the aunt, the groom on horseback or sedan chair (one of the empty sedan chair for the bride to spare), before and after the two "cited" people, behind the two "marrying the aunt" (for young women), commonly known as the "pressure head surface ". Starting line, firecrackers, gongs and drums, suona class in front, playing gongs, holding horses, carrying wild geese card, clip to pay the box (inside the invitation), surrounded by sedan chair, front and back, HaoHaoAiAi to the woman's home. The groom and the pressure head face was welcomed into the guest house, served ten bowls of food hospitality, began to move chopsticks before the cited relatives to take two buns, pull out the flesh of the bun, folder some meat Lai, the two buns together with a piece of red cloth wrapped on the red rope tied, to relatives to take back, ready for the newlyweds into the bridal chamber after eating.

After the bridegroom's meal, accompanied by the relatives to the female ancestors in incense

The relatives to the bridegroom first red, flowers (cap inserted gold flowers), the bridegroom to the spirit of kneeling, laying three cups of wine. Then by the horse-drawn groom to the courtyard, to the female parents, elders kneeling ceremony, after the ceremony back to the guest room. At this time, the musicians blowing up, the bride wearing a phoenix crown, red veil, with a red silk jacket, green silk pants, waist tie red or pink satin skirt, feet wearing flower satin embroidered shoes, hands holding a mirror (commonly known as the demon-shooting mirror), pro brother or younger brother, will be held in the sedan chair. Some villages are supported by relatives in the sedan chair. Three gunshots, that is, the groom on horseback, sedan chair lift, all the wedding people in order to return. Male folder worship box, you have to carry the female side with the hanger, on the curtains, towels and so on; there is a person to carry oil lamps, kettles. Women's families have two to send a nun on horseback, and other relatives to send a sedan chair with the same. On the way to meet the funeral procession or new graves, to cover the top of the sedan chair with red felt. When they meet a roadside well, they will cover the well with red felt. Into the village of the man's home, three gunshots. The bride's sedan chair has not landed, a person lit firecrackers, around the sedan chair for a week, and then drop the sedan chair, by the bride's family to send relatives to carry the bride into the yard. Along the way, red felt on the ground, the male family one person holding a basket of grains (within the grass section, dates, walnuts, etc.) with the bride side of the scattering side walk. Commonly known as spreading grains, into the rich door, also known as the removal of the cover. There is no red felt village, with two red mattresses, rotating to the front. Bride into the room, sitting on the bed facing the god of joy (corner). Then a banquet was held to entertain the guests.

Before the guests

The new couple came out of the room, and stood in front of the table of heaven and earth, three cannons sounded, and the musicians played music. Singing Za man (master of ceremonies) began to sing: a worship of heaven and earth, two worship of parents, three worship of relatives and guests; according to the size of the generation, in order to pay homage (relatives are given to pay homage to the Za money). After worshipping heaven and earth, the new couple goes into the room to eat the happy noodles and drink the cup of wine. Then, people of the same age gather to make fun, commonly known as "haunted house". At the same time, the in-laws of both men and women (pro-weng), (or both uncles) to the hall to perform the ceremony of exchange of invitations, the woman is to pass the trousseau red wedding invitations, the man passes to thank the invitations. After the exchange of invitations, the two sides send off the guests, and perform the bowing ceremony in order to express their gratitude. After the guests leave, the relatives of the two families, men and women, once again into the banquet, after which, the female family members return.

Wedding night room

Wedding night room

Wedding night room, young people and children, crowded with the new room, the ground floor of the bed are people. Some call the new couple say tongue twister, some call the two push the cart, some call the two "over the bridge"...... witty banter, there are also pranks.

Shaanxi County and Mianchi, on the second day of marriage, the woman's brother and sister-in-law go to the son-in-law's home to "comb their hair," and on the third day, the husband and wife go to recognize their relatives. In most counties, on the third day after the wedding, the woman's family came to fetch the woman "back to the door". The next day sent back to the male family. There are also the next day back to the door, the third day also male family.