Remembering the traditional wedding prose in Southwest Lu

Every National Day holiday, the city is always immersed in a school of joy. Red flags on the streets, traffic, some ride in a self-driving car family to travel to scenic areas, some rushed to take the light rail, public transportation to visit friends and relatives, and some of them are "home" at home to eat "reunion dinner", to enjoy the "family photo! "The most notable event is the wedding ceremony. But the most attention is still married and celebrated.

"Eleven" at noon, son, daughter-in-law with grandchildren to the family reunion, my son accompanied me to drink old wine. Wine over the "three rounds", suddenly heard the firecrackers downstairs, mixed with deafening "two kicks" sound. I stretched my head out of the window to see, ah! Good style ah. Just see a row of eight branded cars in the alley, the groom suits, holding flowers, the bride wearing a white wedding dress flowing, face like peach blossoms. Watching the crowd to see the road blocked. Looking at this kind of broad extraordinary welcome wedding scene, my mind rolls, thoughts sheepish, immediately recalled a few decades ago, my hometown of Lunan married scene.

In the past, Lunan and the rest of the country, most of the young men and women married feudal arranged marriages, "parents' orders, matchmakers' words" has become the iron law. It is only natural that a man should be married when he is old enough and a woman should be married when she is old enough. Generally first by the matchmaker to pull the needle, and then the parents of both sides to inquire about each other to investigate; and then quietly ask Mr. yin and yang measurement of the eight characters; if both men and women identified after the male party will be to the female side of the bride price; to choose a lucky day, to determine the date of marriage; and then in accordance with the custom of their respective intensive planning for the wedding, the male side of the most critical is to prepare for the wedding room, the purchase of the main furniture, the female side of the preparation of the dowry, including clothing and quilts and individual female use of furniture. The woman prepares the dowry, including clothes, quilts and individual furniture for women. At that time, the sewing of the wedding quilt was very particular, and it was necessary to find women with both children to sew, and it was said to be very unlucky if a widow was definitely on the sidelines. When sewing the quilt, the corners of the four corners to put red dates and peanuts, meaning to "early life" and men and women "peanuts"; and finally marry the new daughter-in-law into the door.

Waiting for the auspicious day, the male party to welcome the marriage team immediately to the door. The size of the scale, the scene of complexity depending on the specific conditions of the male family, the rich family to drive a carriage, with "ringer" (oboe class), the general family set of oxcarts, donkey riding. Meet the bride team arrangement is also very delicate, the forefront is blowing class, immediately after the carriage or oxcart riding bride and groom, or the bridegroom rope bride riding a donkey, and then behind the female dowry delivery team. Generally, there should be a five-drawer cabinet, dresser each, a pair of wooden boxes. Whether it is a cabinet, table, box, all to oil on the red seven, which is the meaning of celebration. Boxes filled with clothes and quilts, broad family to do a dozen beds of new quilts, a single person car to send or pick to send, all the way to show off a bit. Walking at the end of the queue is "anti-door curtain" of the boys, the requirements of decent features, lively and polite. I was only six or seven years old, I had the honor of winning this role three times, each time not only followed the good food and drink, but also get a "happy money" red envelope.

There is also a special custom in Southwest China - "crying marriage". When the welcoming team arrived, the bride strung face, dress, grooming, in front of the face of the bride and the neighbors, before leaving to "bawl", crying in the said, said in the crying, crying while saying, said while crying. Some girls high level, can cry into content, rhythmic "opera". I heard the old man say, this is "happy crying", "thanksgiving crying", thanks to the parents of the `raising grace, thanks to the neighbors of the love and care. The harder you cry, the deeper your feelings are; the more painful it is, the heavier the favor is. So, although the daughter cried "sky dark", "sea tossing", only the mother followed the tears, others are either indifferent, or pursed lips dark smile.

In the old days, before marriage, men and women who have not seen who the "true face of Lushan". There is a custom in southwest Lu, usually a very strict control of the girl, in front of the stranger absolutely can not show their faces, and aunt and sister-in-law is much more lenient. Whenever you walk into the village, you will see a bunch of women in the shade of the tree while taking a cool and doing needlework. The bare-chested ones must be the aunts and sisters-in-law of the children of Sungbang, who put their lab coats in the sewing baskets and put them on as soon as they saw a man coming at the intersection. But to the old women and children they do not hold back. The girls who are together, on the other hand, have to be fully dressed, with their big headscarves around their necks, and as soon as someone comes they cover their faces with the scarf and quickly head for the house.

When you get married, the bride will have to wear a "masked red". "Hooded red" is not like a sarong, is made of red cloth, inside and outside the light does not penetrate a little. Therefore, only to worship heaven and earth, into the cave, the groom picked off the bride's "hooded red", the two people really see each other for the first time.

For the bride and groom, "the cave" is a "robbery". According to custom, this night, in addition to elders and older brother, brothers of the same generation, junior nephews and grandchildren, have the qualifications of the new room. There are key to open the window paper peeping, lying on the window sill listening to, but also learn to bark at the cat barking to make trouble, all the movement outside the house will make the newcomer fearful.

What's worse is that a bunch of buddies dragged the groom to drink, not to get drunk and never let you go home. At this time, the bride can only face the lonely lamp, alone in the room. Therefore, take advantage of the opportunity to "take over the nest", "impostor" strange things also happen. I heard such a true story when I was a child. It was when I was in the first grade of elementary school, the brother of a classmate of mine got married. In the evening, first a group of "close friends" friends let him drink wine at home, and then dragged him to the melon field to invite everyone to eat watermelon, has been making trouble to eleven o'clock at night is still in the field. At this time, a bachelor "buddy" unknowingly and quickly sneaked back to the village, gently pushed open the door of the bridal chamber, and came up to embrace the bride: "Mother, I love you". The bride was thus inexplicably slept with. Then, the bachelor and on the toilet in the name of slipping out. Not long after, the groom back, undressed on the bed and the bride to do "qin and se" good, the bride whispered: "You don't want to die! Just want a few times now and want?" Groom suspicion stunned, a detailed question to understand the reason. The groom was shocked, knowing that ate a "dumb loss", but also do not dare to speak out, or lose the lady and loss of face, can not do people.

Early liberation, although the promulgation of the Marriage Law, but thousands of years of inherited habits are still running in the subtle. The "matchmaker" was changed to the "introducer", the betrothal is still the parents' word, the bride-price is sent and received. Go to the relevant departments to obtain a marriage license, although both men and women were present, but the woman covered with a veil, can only see two eyes. So the real face of the bride only into the cave to know.

With the deepening of reform and opening up and social progress, the rural areas, like the city, the full and complete realization of free love marriage. The man and woman are in love, childhood sweethearts, spend time with each other, know the roots, who can not leave who, who also get good who. Once the auspicious day arrives, the beautiful bridal chamber, scenic wedding, like glue like feelings, let people envy. The feudal arranged marriage was completely thrown into the garbage heap of history.

The sound of firecrackers outside the house, interrupting my thoughts of the past, my heart in the blessing of the new couple: you have come to a good time!