Can you elaborate on the process of the six ancient rites of passage (Nacai→Ask for a name→Na Ji→Na Zheng→Invite a date→Welcome the bride)? Thank you.

I. The process

1. Nacai

When a child gets married, the parents of the man's family ask the matchmaker to propose marriage to the woman's family who has found a good match. The man's family in Nacai, need to be up to about thirty kinds of auspicious gifts to the female family; the female family is also at this time to the matchmaker to inquire about the situation of the man's family. Ancient Han marriage customs.

2, ask the name

that is, in the female parent acceptance of the marriage proposal, the female family will be the daughter of the eight years of the eight characters brought back to the male family, so that the male and female door to door and after the divination of good luck.

3, Naji

The man will be the woman's name, the eight characters back, in the ancestral temple for divination. After obtaining an auspicious omen, the woman's family is notified of the decision to enter into marriage.

4, Na Zheng

(also known as over the big gift): that is, the man's family to the woman's family to send the book of engagement and gift book. One month to two weeks before the wedding, the man's family will invite two or four female relatives (who must be fully blessed) to meet with the matchmaker and bring the bride-price, gift money and gift to the woman's home; at this time, the woman's family is required to return the gift.

5. Invitation

The man's family chooses the date of the wedding, and prepares a gift to inform the woman's family and ask for their consent.

6, welcome

(or welcome): on the auspicious day of the wedding, wearing a dress, the groom will be accompanied by matchmakers, friends and relatives to the bride's home to welcome the bride in person. Groom in the female home before the need to female ancestral temple to perform worship ceremony, before the bride received the male family in a sedan chair. After completing the rituals of worshiping heaven, earth and ancestors in the man's home, the bride is sent to the bridal chamber.

Two, worship etiquette:

The bride and groom into the door, then we must "worship", also known as "worship". Worship of the place in front of the cave door, set up a table for heaven and earth, above the pro-division for heaven and earth, the master of the table, the table for the back of the ancestral mantle hanging. After the bride and groom took their places, two male guests guided them to perform the three-kneeling and nine-kowtowing rituals to worship heaven and earth, ancestors and parents. Then the female east and male west, the couples worship ceremony. Yanbei Datong area, the bridegroom worship, the bride does not worship, and the common custom is very different.

Expanded Information:

Origin:

The traditional marriage custom of the Three Books and Six Rites has a long history, dating back to the Western Zhou Dynasty. The "Six Rites of Marriage" of the Western Zhou Dynasty had an important influence on the form of marriage in the subsequent dynasties.

The six rites began in slave society. The marriage procedure in feudal society, although it has undergone several changes, has basically not departed from the scope of the six rites, and there are similar provisions in the Tang Law and the Ming Law. This marriage procedure is a custom and characteristic traditional culture unique to China.

The ancient Chinese books "The Records of Rites" and "The Rites of Passage" both discuss this. According to the Rites of Passage, there are six rites of passage, namely, the "Nacai" rite, the "Name" rite, the "Naji" rite, the "Naxing" rite, the "Invitation" rite, and the "Welcome" rite. This shows that this traditional wedding custom was first created in the Western Zhou Dynasty. It is generally believed that this custom was established in the Qin Dynasty and later used in the Han Dynasty.

Source of reference; Baidu Encyclopedia - Six Rites

Baidu Encyclopedia - Worship