Customs and habits of Yao nationality (traditional wedding and funeral customs)

Yao is one of the ethnic minorities in China, which is distributed in Guangxi, Hunan, Guizhou and Yunnan. The customs of Yao nationality are unique and ancient, and the traditional wedding and funeral customs are even more unique. Let's take a look at these customs of Yao nationality.

Traditional wedding customs

The traditional wedding customs of Yao nationality are very complicated and need to go through many links to complete. The following are the operation steps of Yao traditional wedding:

Preparatory cutting

In the traditional wedding of Yao nationality, the man needs to propose to the woman's family first. After obtaining the consent of the woman's family, the man's family will send a bride price, which generally includes tofu, candy, glutinous rice, chicken, duck and fish, and some valuables, such as silverware, silks and satins. After receiving the bride price, the bride's family should send back some gifts, such as bamboo shoots and honey.

Wedding stage

On the wedding day, the man will bring some relatives and friends to the woman's door, and the woman's house will put some thresholds at the door. The man needs to cross these thresholds to show that he can overcome difficulties and marry a bride. When the man enters the woman's house, the woman's house will make tea for him and let him guess the items in the tea. If he guesses correctly, he will get some rewards.

Gate-crossing stage

After both men and women have some ceremonies at the woman's house, they can start their journey. The woman should wear the traditional wedding dress of Yao nationality, the family should wear red silk, and then the man should carry her out. A woman should cover her face with a red cloth to show shyness and purity. Before going out, the woman's house will put some obstacles at the door, and the man needs to overcome these obstacles before he can take the bride out.

wedding ceremony

At the wedding, the man and the woman should worship their ancestors first, and then perform some rituals, such as drinking a glass of wine and offering a cigarette. Finally, the man will take the bride back to his home and perform some family ceremonies, such as lighting lights and candles, to show the happiness of the newlyweds.

Funeral custom

Yao's funeral customs are also unique. The following are the operation steps of Yao's funeral:

Wake stage

During Yao's funeral, the family members of the deceased should stay at home to pray for the deceased, and at the same time, they should also receive relatives and friends who come to offer condolences. During the wake, family members should wear black clothes to express their condolences, and at the same time, they should put some sacrifices, such as glutinous rice, fruit, chicken, duck and fish.

Dying stage

After the body of the deceased changes, the family members should bury the body of the deceased, and then perform some ceremonies, such as lighting incense and burning candles, to show respect and grief for the deceased.

farewell ceremony

In the farewell ceremony, the family will put the body of the deceased on a piece of white cloth, and then the family and relatives and friends will take turns to bid farewell to express their memory and blessings for the deceased. Finally, the family will send the body of the deceased to the hearse for a final farewell.

Cremation ceremony

During the cremation ceremony, the family members will send the body of the deceased to the crematorium for cremation ceremony. At the cremation ceremony, family members should set off some paper money, candles and firecrackers to express their condolences and blessings to the deceased. Finally, the family will collect the ashes of the deceased and bury them.