What are the traditional wedding ceremonies of the Han people?

Traditional wedding etiquette (details)

Wedding eve: A traditional wedding that inherits ancient rituals is the most complex but also meaningful among various wedding etiquettes. However, because most modern couples lack this knowledge or do not have enough time, the number of couples choosing traditional weddings as a way to get married has been decreasing year by year.

The preparation work before the wedding is very complicated

1. Worship: The day before the wedding, the groom’s family must worship heaven, earth and ancestors, and inform them that the wedding will be held.

2. Anqing Rite: Worship the bed mother according to the eight characters and the seat of the house facing the bed mother.

The wedding day is even more complicated--

1. Ancestor worship: The man should worship his ancestors before going out to marry the bride.

2. Welcoming the bride: Even numbers are preferred, especially multiples of 6.

3. Firecrackers: As the wedding ceremony car procession is on its way, firecrackers should be set off along the way to celebrate.

4. Eating at the sisters' table: Before the bride leaves for the wedding, she must have a meal with her parents, brothers and sisters to express farewell, and everyone must say auspicious words.

5. Invite the groom: When the ceremonial car arrives at the bride’s house, there will be a boy waiting for the groom holding a tea tray (with melon seeds and candies on it). After the bride gets off the car, she should give the boy a red envelope as a gift before entering the bride’s house. Home.

6. Pleasing: After the groom meets and greets the bride’s family, he should hand flowers to the bride in the room. At this time, the bride’s sisters or female friends should stop the groom and deliberately obstruct her, not allowing him to see her. When it comes to the bride, after the groom's hard pleading, the woman can put forward conditions for the groom to agree to. Usually, after some haggling, the deal is settled with a 999 yuan red envelope gift, which means "long-lasting".

7. Veil: After the groom gives the bouquet, he should put down the veil and pull the bride out of the hall.

8. Farewell: The groom and the bride burn incense to worship their ancestors. The bride should kowtow to her parents to say goodbye, while the groom only bows.

9. Going out: The bride should be escorted to the ceremonial car by a female elder with high fortune holding a bamboo sieve or black umbrella. Because the bride has a greater status than anyone else on the day, she cannot hold her head. The sky is sunny, but on the other hand, I also hope to live a happy life like this female elder.

10. Limo: A bamboo tree from root to leaf is hung above the limo, and a radish is hung on the root to show "a head and a tail." Behind the limo, there is a Bagua bamboo sieve painted in red and ink, which is used to drive away the bad luck on the road.

11. Fan presentation: Before the bride gets into the ceremonial car, a little boy with an auspicious zodiac will hold a fan to the bride (place it on the tea tray), and the bride will give a red envelope in return.

12. Don’t say goodbye: When everyone is leaving the woman’s house, they must not say goodbye to the woman’s family.

13. Splashing water: After the bride gets into the ceremonial car, the bride’s parents should pour a bowl of water, rice and white rice on the bride, which represents that the daughter has thrown out the water and wishes her daughter success in everything. , food and clothing.

14. Throwing the fan: After the ceremonial car starts, the bride should throw the fan out of the window, which means that she will not bring her bad temper to her husband’s house. She must cry a few times after throwing the fan, and after the limo , can be covered with a bamboo sieve to symbolize prosperity.

15. Firecrackers: Fire cannon salutes all the way from the girl’s house to the boy’s house. When the car arrives at the groom’s house, the family members set off a “cannon city” to celebrate the good news.

16. Touching oranges: After the limo arrives, a child with two oranges will greet the couple. The bride should touch the oranges lightly and then give a red envelope as a gift. These two oranges should be kept until the evening for the bride to peel, which means they will bring longevity.

17. Leading the Bride: When the bride walks out of the ceremonial car, a blessed elder from the groom’s side should hold a bamboo sieve on the bride’s head and support the bride into the hall.

18. Avoid stepping on the threshold: The threshold represents the appearance, so newcomers must not step on the threshold but should cross over.

19. Cross the brazier and step on the tiles: After entering the hall, the bride must step over the brazier and step on the tiles. Crossing the brazier means getting rid of evil spirits, and stepping on the tiles means that the past time is broken like tiles.

20. Tea ceremony: The elders of the groom’s family introduce the bride to their family. This ceremony is to recognize her as a member of the family.

21. Worship to heaven and earth: The couple first bows to heaven and earth, the second bow to the high hall, the couple bows to each other before entering the bridal chamber.

Twenty-two. Entering the bridal chamber: Cover the bed with a bamboo screen, place a bronze mirror on the table to calm the shock, and the newlyweds sit together on a bench with the groom's trousers pre-padded, saying that they are one heart from now on, and they will be together. Please give birth to a boy in the future. Then the groom lifts off the bride's veil, the two drink wine together, and eat sweet soup made of black dates, peanuts, longan, lotus seeds and other things, which symbolizes the early birth of a child.

Twenty-three, avoid sitting on the new bed: On the wedding day, no one is allowed to sit on the new bed, and the bride cannot lie down, so as not to fall ill in bed all year round.

Twenty-four. Viewing ceremony and wedding banquet: At present, most people adopt a wedding ceremony that combines Chinese and Western styles. Most of them hold a viewing ceremony at the same time when entertaining guests in the evening. At the wedding banquet, the bride can take off her bridal dress and put on dinner clothes. Toast to each table.

25. Seeing guests off: After the wedding banquet, the newlyweds stand at the door of the restaurant to see off guests, holding tea trays filled with cigarettes and wedding candies.

26. Tea: Usually after the banquet guests leave, the groom’s married relatives and friends drink the bride’s sweet tea, say auspicious words and give red envelopes.

Twenty-seven. Making trouble in the bridal chamber: The newlyweds on both sides can use excuses to make fun of the newlyweds to increase the joy of the wedding.

The word "hun" in "Book of Rites? Hunyi" is originally written as "昬". It was named after the ancestors' welcoming ceremonies were held at dusk. At this time, the sun and the moon gradually changed, and contained " It means "Yang goes to Yin and comes". The Chinese ancestors who pay attention to the unity of nature and man chose such a subtle moment to skillfully interpret the meaning of marriage and at the same time bring a sacred and pious feeling to this ceremony. Later, when the word "dun" was added to the radical of "女" to write "wedding", the wedding was no longer limited to the quiet dusk. Of course, the sacred consciousness of this ceremony also gradually faded away.

The evening ceremony is one of the jiali, which is used to bring closeness to all people. The Zhou system of evening rites is the model for weddings in later generations. Weddings in later generations have developed through the exchanges of various foreign cultures and have also incorporated many new customs. The appearance has been changed, but the structure of the basic ritual system has not changed significantly.

According to legend, the earliest marriage relationship and wedding ceremony in China began with Fuxi’s marriage ceremony and Nuwa’s matchmaking. "Tongjian Waiji" records: "In ancient times, there was no difference between men and women. Taihao began to marry and used lippi as a gift." Since then, lipi (pairs of deerskin) has become one of the classic wedding gifts. After that, in addition to the "Lipi Ceremony", "Parents must be informed"; in the Xia and Shang Dynasties, the etiquette of "welcoming in the court" and "welcoming in the hall" appeared. The Zhou Dynasty was an era of comprehensive etiquette. At that time, a complete set of marriage etiquette gradually formed. There are detailed regulations in "Rituals", and the entire set of rituals is combined into the "Six Rites". The Six Rites Wedding Production has since become the template for traditional Chinese weddings and has been passed down to this day.

Traditional Wedding Customs—Traditional Wedding Customs: Seeing a Marriage

In ancient times, women were often "born in a boudoir, unknown to anyone, and no one knew whether they were beautiful or beautiful." After the matchmaker makes a deal, the man often requests to take a look. This kind of activity, in which the man goes to the woman's home for the first time with the help of the matchmaker, is called "marriage viewing". It is commonly known as "blind date".

The date of the blind date is predetermined by the matchmaker and notified to both men and women, so both parties must be prepared. The man should prepare some gifts according to the hobbies of the woman's parents; the woman should clean the courtyard and prepare to receive guests. As parties involved, both men and women should dress up as elegantly and glamorously as possible in order to give each other a good "first impression."

Visiting the bride is a key link in the success of a marriage, especially for the man, who must treat it with caution. Although the gifts are nothing more than tobacco, alcoholic drinks and snacks, it does not matter whether they are large in quantity or high in value, but they must be suitable for the recipient and must not violate the taboos of the other person's parents; the clothes must be generous and fashionable; the words and deeds must be modest and courteous. In ancient times, when going to see a bride, a man could only let the matchmaker create an opportunity to secretly glance at the girl. But now it is different. Both men and women can meet and talk directly. Both parties have the opportunity to get a preliminary understanding of the other party.

China is a "land of etiquette and justice" and pays attention to implicitness. The results of seeing a prostitute are often not expressed directly, but expressed with various hints. In many places, after the man enters the house, the girl's parents first pour the young man a cup of hot tea. The young man sees that the girl likes it, so he drinks the tea in one sip. Then the girl's parents discuss with the girl, and if they agree to get married, they The man is left to have dinner with the matchmaker. If he doesn't agree, he is allowed to leave and go home. Some parents even ask the matchmaker to take away the meeting gift brought by the man.

In some areas, in addition to visiting relatives, there is also the custom of "visiting other people's homes". "Visiting someone else's family" is actually also a marriage visit. The man is led by a matchmaker to the woman after she has seen the girl. The woman's parents do not express their opinion on the marriage for the time being, and then the matchmaker leads them back to the groom's home. The Qiyang area is called "Kandang". At that time, the man's parents should first offer a cup of fragrant tea and then talk to the woman's parents. The wife's parents inspect the groom's house and talk with the groom's parents. If they approve of the marriage, they drink all the fragrant tea. The groom's parents immediately treat the couple as "in-laws" and entertain the guests warmly. Otherwise, the girl's parents should get up and say goodbye, and the boy should not force himself to stay as a guest.

Traditional Wedding Customs and Ceremonies

After "seeing the bride" and "looking at the bride", the engagement formalities must be performed, commonly known as "courtesy".

" Ceremony The first step is for the matchmaker to send the man's birth date to the woman, and the woman's birth date to the man. Some superstitious parents, who think they are responsible for their children's marriages, often ask fortune tellers after receiving the red invitation. Sir, make a calculation to see if the "birthdays and horoscopes" of both parties are consistent. If not, the marriage will need to be reconsidered. Fortunately, most modern people don't believe in this, so even if the red invitations are exchanged, it is often just a formality. , some even do not need to exchange posts.

After "exchanging posts" and "combining eight characters", the matchmaker should choose a good day to take the man to "ceremony" to get engaged. For a big event, the person who takes the initiative (whether male or female) usually gives a large gift to the other party. The gift should include at least a pig knuckle, a pair of wine, a chicken and a duck, and a set of clothing and shoes for the other party's parents. One pair of each, one package, how much to include in the package, and what kind of engagement gifts to give to the girl, are usually negotiated in advance between the matchmaker and both parties, and cannot be determined by the man (or woman). . Of course, the man's or the woman's parents should also try to be considerate of each other, strive to be frugal, and accept less betrothal gifts.

Traditional marriage customs: matchmaking

In feudal society, men and women "don't get married." Emphasizing that "it doesn't rain unless there are clouds in the sky, and there is no marriage without a matchmaker on the ground."

Both men and women generally have to be reconciled by someone before they can "marry Siluo", "harmonize Qin and Jin", "tie together with reason", and "understand the good relationship between the two surnames". This kind of negotiation is called "matchmaking". After the founding of the People's Republic of China, "matchmaking" was once renamed "making introductions". People who did this kind of matchmaking work were elegantly called "Yue Lao" and commonly known as "matchmakers". Later, they were called "introducers".

"Yue Lao" is the abbreviation of "Yue Lao". According to "Novel of the Tang Dynasty", a scholar named Wei Gu was walking through Songcheng at night and met an old man sitting on the roadside leaning on a big bag, reading a big book in the moonlight. Wei Gu asked him politely what book he was checking. The old man replied that this is the marriage book of all people in the world. Wei Gu asked the old man what was in the big pocket. The old man replied: "With a red rope, use it to tie the feet of men and women. Just tie the feet of a man and a woman to a red rope, even if they are sworn enemies or strangers thousands of miles apart." , they will definitely get married." Therefore, people say that "a thousand miles of marriage is tied by a thread." "If Old Man Yuexia is not tied with a red thread, he will never be able to go anywhere again." This shows people's reverence for the matchmaker.

Matchmakers are also called "matchmakers." Yuan Zhen, a talented scholar in the Tang Dynasty, wrote an article called "The Story of Yingying", which created the image of a smart and lively maidservant and matchmaker. She repeatedly devised tricks and finally arranged the marriage between Zhang Sheng and Miss Yingying. Wang Shifu of the Yuan Dynasty wrote "The Romance of the West Chamber" based on this story, in which the image of the matchmaker is more intelligent and lovely. People refer to matchmakers as "matchmakers", which shows their importance and friendliness to matchmakers.

Being a matchmaker is not an easy task. This can be seen from the fact that matchmakers are nicknamed "Ice Man" and "Ice Axe". According to the "Book of Jin", Xiaolian Linghu Ce had a dream. He dreamed that he was on the ice and talking to the people under the ice. Suo explained this dream and said: "You are talking to the people under the ice on the ice. This symbolizes that you are reconciling yin and yang. Reconciling yin and yang is to be a mediator. You will be a matchmaker for others. But it is not easy to be a matchmaker. You have to use your Passion melts the ice so that both men and women can get married. "It seems that being a matchmaker requires enthusiasm and perseverance.

In old-style weddings, matchmakers were also called "matchmakers" and matchmakers were "executors." This confirms that matchmakers are an indispensable role. "The Book of Songs" chants: "How about cutting down the branches? Bandits and axes can't do it. How about getting wives? Bandits and matchmakers can't do it." It means: "How can I cut down a big branch? I can't chop it down without an axe; how can I get my wife?" "You can't get married without a matchmaker."

Matchmaking is a skill. The matchmaker must not only be familiar with the basic situation of the man and woman and their families, and strive to propose marriage to the right person, but also must be basically accurate. Both men and women and their parents should reflect each other's situation and try their best to conceal evil and promote good, so that both parties can fully understand each other's strengths and be willing to reach a marriage agreement. In other words, you have to have a "matchmaker's mouth". To be a matchmaker, one should be diligent in running errands. From the beginning of matchmaking between men and women, one should frequently travel between the men and women's families to communicate the situation, convey each other's wishes and requirements, and prevent unexpected changes. It is customary for both men and women to entertain the matchmaker. It is not an exaggeration for the country people to say that "a matchmaker can eat a hundred meals". It can be seen that he worked hard to match up.

The matchmaker plays an important role in old-fashioned weddings. After the man and woman have basically agreed on the marriage, he will guide the man to go on a blind date, send the Geng stamps on behalf of both parties, lead the man to celebrate the engagement, choose an auspicious date for the marriage, guide the man to accept the bride, and assist in organizing the marriage ceremony, until the "new couple comes in" After getting married, he threw the matchmaker over the wall. If the matchmaker does a good job, both parties will be satisfied, and they will often visit each other in the future, becoming old friends; if the matchmaker does a bad job, and both parties are dissatisfied, the matchmaker is often blamed, and they will be treated as strangers from then on.

As a matchmaker, the matchmaker can get some money, which is called a "matchmaker thank you gift". This money is usually paid by the man (if the man comes to the woman's house, the woman pays it), and is sent to the matchmaker's house together with the chicken, elbow, shoes, socks, and cloth on the day before the wedding. The matchmaker must go to guide the marriage the next day, which is called "matchmaking" or "matchmaking" or "matchmaking". The amount of money given to the matchmaker depends on the host's financial situation, but no matter how much it is, it must be sealed with red paper, which is called a "red envelope" or "envelope". It is customary to write "envelope sign" on the red envelope.

Traditional Chinese Wedding Ceremony Procedure (Simplified)

1. The Classics of Ceremonies - Six Ancient Rites

2. Wedding Ceremony and Shangtou - Prelude to Leaving the Pavilion< /p>

3. Making up and preparing the house - the prelude to the wedding

4. Avoiding evil and riding the saddle - the road to welcoming the bride

5. Worshiping in the hall and getting married - Night of Flowers and Candles

Ancient Wedding Etiquette

Departure: The man carries six or twelve gifts, fires a cannon and sets off to the girl’s house. When he is approaching the girl’s house, the cannon is fired again, and the girl’s house He also fired a cannon in response to show that he was ready.

Welcoming guests: The matchmaker gets off the car first, followed by the rest, and the groom is invited out by the younger members of the bride’s family.

Introduction: The man’s relatives and friends enter the woman’s home in order. The matchmaker formally introduces the relatives and friends of both parties to each other, introducing the man to the woman’s family first.

Acceptance: The man carries gifts into the woman’s house, and the woman accepts them and gives them red envelopes; the gifts are displayed in the hall, and the matchmaker hands over the betrothal, gold ornaments, and gift orders to the woman’s parents. The woman’s relatives and friends collect the gifts. And display the offerings on the table of the gods.

Serving sweet tea: The elders of the woman's family invite the men's relatives to take their seats in order of age, with the groom at the end. The bride-to-be was led out of the hall by a lucky woman, holding sweet tea and serving tea to the groom's guests.

Press the tea cup: After a while, the bride comes out of the hall to collect the tea cup. The groom’s relatives and friends need to press the tea cup with red envelopes.

Wearing a ring: Under the watchful eyes of parents, relatives and friends of both parties, the bride-to-be sits on a high chair in the center of the main hall of her house (facing inward if she is bringing in a bride), with her feet raised on a low chair; wear a ring on her middle finger (for men). Left female right). The groom-to-be hands the red envelope to the bride-to-be.

Change the title: The matchmaker guides both parties to change the title.

Ancestor worship: The uncle lights candles and incense, and the matchmaker reads auspicious words. Then the girl's parents worship the gods and ancestors, report that the marriage has been decided, and pray for blessings.

Return gifts: The girl’s family accepts part of the gifts and bride price sent by the man, and gives six or twelve gifts in return to the man.

Engagement banquet: After the engagement ceremony is completed, the woman prepares refreshments and holds a banquet to entertain the man (the man is seated on the right and the woman is on the left). The woman prepares chicken legs and attaches a red envelope to the man’s younger generation. In addition to the table gift, the man prepares In addition, red envelopes were given to all those who helped as a thank you.

Send off guests: After the banquet, the male guests set off to go home. The younger female family members hold noodle buckets and wash hands with the male guests. If they are in an outside restaurant, this gift is not required and no goodbye is said when seeing off the guests.