What should be prepared for marriage in southern Fujian?

There are many kinds of dowry in Minnan marriage, including food, clothes, daily necessities and offerings to ancestors and gods. These dowries have special significance and are amazing. And it is also divided into several burdens! The first shipment was a gift of food. In dowry gifts, the most important etiquette is "pig's feet in front of sedan chair", and the front and rear legs should weigh ten to twenty kilograms to show the weight of the gift. Followed by the "four fruits", that is, rice fragrant sugar, wax gourd strips, rock sugar, tea and so on. It is called "Four Fruits Sweet" locally, which means happiness and sweetness. In addition, there are homemade sweet cakes and baked cakes in rural areas, which are called "pressing houses" and have the intention of starting a family. These things should be packed in two bamboo baskets, tied with red cloth strips or red paper strips, and sent to the hall and new house for worship, in order to have a baby early. In addition, you should also prepare meat, noodles, glutinous rice, cigarettes, wine and other foods.

The second load is the suitcase for clothes. The things to wear will be relatively simple, except the clothes that the bride carries with her, and there are not many clothes. However, if there are eight or ten sets of requirements in the era of ticket supply, there is a common saying that "nylon stockings needs four pairs and four shirts are authentic ..."! It can be seen that the bride's requirements for the number of clothes were tight at that time. Although they don't pay much attention to the number of clothes, some people prepare antique red coats, red skirts, blue robes and white and yellow bodies (made of white and yellow cloth, two for men and two for women) for parents to celebrate their birthday and centenarians to show that men and women are kind and have good family backgrounds.

The third burden is the most ambiguous in dowry. It is a sacrifice to ancestors and gods. Generally speaking, there are several pairs of big red candles, several incense sticks, several strings of firecrackers, several packets of red envelopes (called "room head gifts"), and sacrifices such as rice cakes and snacks. All offerings should be even, such as the second, fourth and twelfth, for good luck. Then put them into two delicate red baskets, which are locally called "Hongsheng". In the nearby towns where Hakkas live, there is a custom of sending people's protection lamps (kerosene lamps) to the man's house, which is intended to make money and treasure. I use the most things, from color TV, refrigerator and motorcycle to sewing box. It is really everywhere. More traditional, it is called "three boxes". That is, a jewelry box is needed, which contains high-quality gold and silver jewelry and other valuables that parents marry to show that their parents are rich; Secondly, there are eight things in the dressing box, such as cuttlefish, rouge gouache, comb, mirror and red ribbon, which means that parents cherish their daughters; Thirdly, a sewing box contains scissors, a red ruler, needle and thread and other items used for sewing and cutting, which means that the bride is skilled and diligent.

In addition, women's bath barrels (commonly known as "red-footed barrels"), pillows, towels, toothbrushes, cups, tea sets, washbasins and other daily necessities are readily available, which is the interest and feature of Minnan dowry. However, today, many customs have been replaced by modern marriage habits.