Feixian County Marriage Customs

The cost of getting married in Feixian County is borne by the man, whether it is a marriage or an engagement.

Welcome in person

Wedding etiquette is usually called a happy event or a wedding ceremony. If you are a daughter-in-law or marry a daughter-in-law, you should ask relatives, friends or neighbors to help you before the wedding. The leader who presides over weddings is called the general manager, or the general manager. In order to distinguish him from the general manager who handles funerals, he is also called the red general manager. He arranges various matters according to the owner's intentions, such as writing couplets, issuing invitations, and starting cars. Carrying sedan chairs, inviting bands, chefs, cashiers, handymen, arranging wedding receptions, seeing off brides, banquets, etc. Whether the wedding is a success, whether the host spends the right amount of money, whether the in-laws' guests are satisfied, and whether the etiquette is thoughtful or not all depends on Mr. Hong's ability. Therefore, Hong is always a very important figure, and is usually held by the elders in the village who understand this set of etiquette. Before the wedding, guests must be invited by invitations. If some guests cannot come without moving, they must be moved by horse-drawn carriage, floor cart or rubber-tired trolley. At this point, preparations for the marriage are basically completed.

Getting married is the most interesting part of the entire wedding process. In the old days, the day before the wedding, the groom would put on new clothes and go around the village with drums and music to salute from door to door. This was called a family ceremony, which meant asking relatives and neighbors to Please help me on your wedding day. In some places, people only salute members of their own clan, which is called performing family rituals. Men in Dongping County go to the homes of relatives and friends to pay homage the day before they marry their brides, which is called "Guan Jing". The gifts given by relatives and friends are also called "Guan Jing". On the eve of the wedding in Wudi, the son-in-law went to the family temple in full attire; in Ling County, the person who was about to get married wore the attire of an adult and paid homage to his parents, brothers and sisters; when the person in Huantai was about to get married, he put on the attire of an adult and went to the temple to pay homage to his parents, uncles, brothers and sisters. Aunts and elders, as well as clan elders and rural gentlemen; Tai'an and Dong'a all use weddings as the crowning ceremony, that is, married people are considered adults, and unmarried people are considered children.

The day before the wedding, all the relatives and friends of the bride’s family come together to give the bride a warm wedding, or sedan warmer. Warm marriage means inviting a group of drummers to play in the evening, and some even hire a small troupe to sing a cappella. On this night, the bride will give a "farewell ceremony" to her parents to thank her parents for their upbringing. It is customary in Linyi area to "send off a bride", and the sedan chair hired will arrive at the bride's house the night before the wedding. When the bearers participate in the warm wedding together, they should be treated warmly so that they can carry the sedan steadily and without shaking the next day. In Laiyang area, on the afternoon before the wedding, the groom's family sends the sedan to the bride's family. When sending the sedan off, the groom first sits in the sedan for more than ten steps, and then gets down, which means to press the sedan.

On a wedding day, there are many rituals and customs, and the first thing to do is to welcome the bride. There are big differences in the methods and time of marriage in different parts of Shandong. There are three main ways to get married: the first is that the groom goes to the bride's house to greet the bride in person, which is called a personal greeting, which can also be called a bride-in-law; the second is that the groom does not go in person, but sends his brothers or uncles and nephews to the bride's house. Picking up the bride can be called waiting for marriage; the third type is that the groom's family does not send anyone to the bride's family, but the bride's family sends the bride there, which can be called "sending off the bride." Welcoming a bride is called a "big marriage" in some places, and is mostly practiced by wealthy families. It is also commonly used by ordinary families living in affluent areas. In some places, waiting for marriage and sending off relatives are called "small marriages", which are suitable for the economic status of ordinary families. This form is mostly adopted in Linyi, Jining, Tai'an, Zibo, Binzhou and other areas. Most people from poor families in Liangshan get married by car, and the ceremony is simple, commonly known as "one car, two oxen and two lanterns". The time for the bride to enter the house is usually at noon, but in Qufu, Tai'an, Boshan and other places it is at midnight, and in Rizhao and other places it is mostly in the afternoon. For those who get married at noon, the first people to come to the door of the host's house in the morning are the drummers. They use big horns to blow at the main door of the host's house. This is called "Drum Gate" in Longkou. When the owner of the house heard the sound of the trumpet, he opened the door and welcomed the drummer into the house, and then went to the "drum bridal chamber". After a short rest, they began to play music. The band usually has two classes, thick and thin, which take turns playing, and sometimes include opera a cappella singing. At this time, the bearers carried the sedan and carried flags, gongs, umbrellas, fans, lanterns and other deacons to the door. Helpers also took their places one after another. The courtyard was full of joy and it was a joyous scene. After having the wedding noodles for breakfast, the sedan chair to welcome the bride is about to set off. The groom puts on new clothes. In the past, he usually wore a robe, a mandarin jacket, a melon cap or a top hat, a big red flower on his chest, and got into the sedan chair. There are two wedding sedans, the one for the groom is called the "official sedan" and the one for the bride is called the "bridal sedan". The wedding sedan cannot be left empty. Generally, a little boy with both parents is required to press the sedan, commonly known as "the sedan boy", or "the sedan boy" or "the sedan boy". A big rooster is also placed in the sedan. , a red talisman with "Lucky Star Shining High" should be posted on the sedan door, and the words "Xiao Dengke" should also be written on the deacon's large fan. The wedding sedan in Rizhao is followed by people carrying the "head ceremony". When everything was ready, three cannons were fired, a few gongs were sounded, and both coarse and fine music were played, and the procession to welcome the bride set off in a mighty manner.

On the wedding day in Dezhou, the groom’s family has to write a wedding invitation. The welcoming team is led by one person carrying a red belt, and the drummer plays festive music. Then, flags, gongs, umbrellas and fans are lined up on both sides. The bridegroom does not ride in a sedan chair, but rides on a tall horse with a golden flower in his hat. He walks behind the ceremonial guard. The last four people carry the sedan chair carrying the "palanquin boy" and the big rooster. Arriving at the door of the bride's house, amidst the sound of firecrackers, the sedan door was set in the direction of the God of Joy. Someone took money to ask the children to get out of the sedan, and the deacons took the groom to meet the bridegroom with a "welcome note". The sedan used to welcome the bride in Longkou is a two-carriage. The bride's sedan is even more ornately decorated. Instead of a boy pressing the sedan, there is a basin with a large dumpling in it, and a few red velvet flowers prepared for the bride.

When the groom leaves, he has to take a small bite of the pastry before getting into the sedan. When getting into the sedan, the trumpeter plays the trumpet first, and then plays both coarse and fine music. Common people in Juancheng often use Taiping Cars to welcome their brides. The car has an arched shed, the front is covered with red felt, and the back is covered with a sheet. A big rooster is tied to the front of the car. One person drives the car with a whip, and another person carries a mantle on his shoulders and crows along the way. Firecrackers are set off; the bride-in-law is married, and when she gets on the carriage, she carries a "top box" containing the bride's wedding dress, crown ornaments and other items; there are also four people carrying lanterns, and on the chests of all the people going to get married and on the foreheads of the animals pulling the carriage, They all tie a red cloth strip to show good luck, and vehicles must follow the rules when entering and exiting the village, that is, "exit east and enter west." At the same time, the groom does not go to welcome the bride. After the wedding car leaves the village, he wears new clothes and pays homage to his ancestors, parents, relatives and neighbors. The bride's dowry is sent to the groom's house in the early morning of the wedding day. The bride's dowry is not allowed to meet the wedding car on the way, so it must take a detour.

When the sedan chair arrives in front of the girl’s house, the drummer will play the “drum” on the door of the girl’s house. In the old days in Huang County, as soon as the sedan chair for welcoming a bride stopped in front of the bride's house, the bride's family would deliberately close the door to keep the groom out, which was called "suppressing sex." So the trumpeter blows the big horn at the door, and plays the thick and thin music and the big gong for a while. This is repeated three times, which is called three blows and three blows, which means asking the bride's house to open the door and invite the groom in. After three blows and three blows, the groom's family and the children asked the groom to sing at the gate, otherwise he would not be allowed to open the door and enter. At this time, the guests from the groom's family and the guests from the bride's family interceded on behalf of the groom and asked for his release. Some people couldn't open the door and enter the house for a long time. The groom was afraid of missing the auspicious day, so he had to sing a few songs to satisfy everyone's requests.

After the groom enters the bride's house, some of them have to pay homage to the bride's ancestors and parents. Some of them take a short rest and then serve wine and food. The grooms are accompanied by the guests to eat and talk while waiting for the bride to dress up. The bride has to put on her wedding dress before getting into the sedan chair, and some even have to "open her face" and "top her head". The time for facial opening and wedding is not uniform across Shandong. In some places, the wedding is performed as early as the "send-off date" after the wedding date has been set. In some places, the wedding is performed before boarding the sedan or after entering the bridal chamber. In some cases, the wedding is performed together with the facial opening. Some don't show up until the third day after marriage. The so-called face opening is to use red thread to twist off the velvet on the face; the upper part is to tie the braid into a bun. These are signs of the bride's transformation from a girl to a daughter-in-law. When going up, you usually have to sit on a saddle or an armchair, which means "come up immediately, get up in the sedan chair", which means prosperity and wealth. The grooming and dressing up of the bride is usually done by her parents-in-law, husband-in-law, and middle-aged women with children. In addition to dressing her head and face, she also has to put on a new wedding dress. The wedding dress should be red from top to bottom, and cotton is usually preferable to singles. If you get married in summer, you will also have to wrap a wisp of cotton around your waist. It is said to express "the richness of your children." In many places, the bride wears a phoenix crown, embroidered shoes, a head full of beads and gold and silver jewelry (many of them are rented), and finally wears a red head covering. In Feixian County and Mengyin area, the bride wears a pair of soft shoes made of yellow silk on top of her embroidered shoes, which are called "zodiac shoes". When she enters her husband's house, someone pulls them off to make a hat for her child. Before getting into the sedan chair, the bride should also take something in her hand. A bride from Texas holds a tamarisk in her left hand, a wine jug in her right hand, and a brass mirror in her arms. The tamarisk and wine jug represent her husband's care for the bride, her work in weaving, and her consideration for her husband. The brass mirror is called the "demon mirror" and can ward off evil spirits. Tai'an brides should hold handkerchiefs, small mirrors and other items in their hands, and carry some money, handkerchiefs, etc. in their arms. The handkerchiefs are used to exchange gifts with the wedding sedan when they meet on the road. The money is made by crossing wells, rivers, They were thrown out of temples to worship gods. Brides in some places in Jiaodong hold small handkerchiefs with various kinds of flour products in their hands, as well as mirrors, green onions, etc. Onions, homophonic to "Cong", are thrown on the roof after arriving at the husband's house. Noodles are thrown into the river when crossing the bridge to worship the gods. Like Tai'an, handkerchiefs are exchanged with brides they meet on the road, and some even exchange rings. wait.

The bride has finished dressing up and tidying up, and the drummers are playing joyful songs. Accompanied by the female guests, the groom bids farewell to his parents-in-law, and the bride's family puts a red cross on him. Some grooms go to the bride's boudoir to salute across the curtain, and send the female guest to return the gift on her behalf. Some grooms go to the bride's boudoir opposite the curtain to wear hairpins, and then the groom gets on the sedan first. The bride is carried out of the boudoir by her brothers on an armchair and put into a sedan chair, which means that her feet will not touch the soil of her mother's family. In Jiaonan and Rizhao areas, the bride is supported by a "marrying girl" and enters the sedan chair on a red carpet or flower mat. If it rains, her brother or younger brother must carry her into the sedan chair. Before boarding the sedan, mother and daughter were separated, and it was inevitable that they would cry. The bride should take a mouthful of rice or pasta, spit out half of the mouthful, and leave the other half. It is said that if you vomit too much, your mother's family will be rich, and if you leave too much, your mother's family will be poor. The other half of the family will take care of the poor and rich of her husband's family. This often puts the bride in a dilemma. In some places, the bride is asked to grab a handful of money from her mother's pocket. Grabbing more money and grabbing less money means the same as spitting out rice. There are also cases where food is used instead of money. After the bride gets on the sedan, Longkou will send two porcelain basins to the groom's sedan and the bride's sedan respectively. Two porcelain peaches and two mirrors are placed in the basins in the groom's sedan, symbolizing health and longevity. In addition, there is a custom in Longkou of the groom stealing things. That is, at the end of the banquet, the groom secretly takes a wine cup and a pair of chopsticks back home while no one is paying attention, hoping that a loyal and filial son will be born soon after the marriage. In Boshan area, the bride is "robbed" to get into the car and sedan. On the wedding day, the groom brought a car and a sedan, and followed a group of people to the bride's house to "rob the bride." The bride's brother ran with her on his back, the bridesmaids guarded him behind, and the groom led others to chase him. After a symbolic fight, the bride finally "Grab" the bride onto the sedan chair. After the bride gets on the sedan chair, there is a custom in many places of splashing water, which is called "the married daughter, throw out the water". Linqu is when the bride's brothers and sisters go to bring her water, also known as soup. It is the last sibling service that the bride enjoys before getting married.

Sometimes the mother of the bride or her brothers and sisters-in-law pour a ladle of water outside the door. It is said that it means that the married daughter is like the water thrown out and can never be taken back, hiding the mother-daughter pity.

After the bride and groom are seated securely in the sedan chair, the head of the sedan chair calls out the signal to start the sedan chair. The two sedan chairs are lifted up at the same time, and the wedding procession returns to her husband's house. In areas where there is a custom of "giving small meals", the person carrying the small meals goes first. The so-called small rice is a wooden plate of raw dumplings and a wooden plate of uncooked noodles, wrapped in red envelopes, carried one by one on a pole, sent to the groom's house, and then cooked half-cooked for the bride and groom to eat. Correspondingly, there is also the "big meal", that is, using food boxes to carry wine and food for "rice". The wedding procession is usually quite large, and the one who walks at the front is the one who distributes the wedding invitations. Whenever there are bridges, wells, temples or corners, a wedding invitation card must be posted. In some places, Qinglong is written on the poster, which is called Qinglong Post. In some places in Jiaodong, the guests walking in front are people carrying red felts. Whenever they encounter temples, wells, bridges, etc., they use red felts to block the way for the sedan chair to pass, similar to spreading wedding invitations. Behind them are large gongs, flags, umbrellas and other ceremonial guards that clear the way on both sides, followed by two sedans. The official sedan is in front, accompanied by a rough band, and the bridal sedan is behind, accompanied by a fine band. Both sides of the bridal sedan are supported by the relatives, commonly known as "the sedan chair" "Pole", and finally the car to see the passengers off. The wedding procession is not allowed to leave the sedan chair on the road. When passing through villages and towns, gongs and music are played to attract people to watch. In the old days, marriage was called "Xiao Dengke". Not only was it allowed to wear official uniforms without fame, but even the county magistrate's official sedan had to give way when encountering the wedding procession. If they meet a funeral procession on the way to the wedding, they do not avoid it and call it "grow old together"; if they meet another wedding party, the two brides exchange gifts and some even treat them as relatives in the future. In Rizhao, Haiyang and other places, if several families in the village welcome a bride on the same day, the bride will rush to get through the door first. As the saying goes, "come early and live well."

The wedding ceremony

The sedan chair arrives at the village head of the groom’s family. First, gongs and trumpets are blown, and the groom comes out of the village to greet the guests. At this time, the sedan chair is walking slowly in the middle of the street. The person carrying the sedan chair shows off his spirit and shakes the sedan chair steadily. This is called pressing down the street, swinging the sedan chair, or stepping on the street. Thick and thin music was played in a variety of ways, and people of all ages, men, women, and children who were watching the excitement gathered around the sedan chair and came to the gate of the husband's house. The people welcoming the bride first set off a firecracker or three blasts of firecrackers at the sedan chair, and then the sedan chair settles down facing the God of Joy. At this time, the door of the groom's house is closed tightly, and the sedan chair must be stopped in front of the door for a while, which is called strangulation, suppression, and suddenness. The purpose is to soften the bride's character and obey her mother-in-law's discipline after entering the door. In many areas, two little boys or girls, holding torches made of hemp or bamboo poles, go around the sedan or car three times to burn the car. In Linqing, when the sedan chair lands, the mother-in-law comes forward and presents the "leftover flower seeds" of the loom wrapped in red paper, asking the bride to hold them, indicating that mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are weaving together. In Texas, the old man would come over and put a sieve on the top of the sedan chair, which he called a "drag net" to show that the evil spirits could not escape. He would also pour a basin of water under the sedan chair, which is called "spill soup". In Mengyin and Feixian counties, for the sake of auspicious celebrations and to test the talents of women, the male family often places some fragile stones under the sedan chair and crushes the stones when the sedan chair is dropped. The father-in-law will deliberately make a serious face and claim that the bride is going to say something. After saying a few auspicious words before getting off the sedan, the well-behaved bride recited: "The newlyweds are as heavy as stones, and their children and grandchildren will have official posts for generations." Everyone was happy, and immediately someone brought two bowls of heart-warming tea, but the bride did not drink it. , just pour it in front of the sedan. At this time, there is a ceremony of sacrificing the door in Longkou. Pig heads, chickens, and fish are placed on the altar at the entrance. The groom's uncle leads the kowtow and sacrifices to the door. After the sacrifice, the door can be opened.

Before the bride gets off the sedan chair, two girls or two married women usually open the sedan curtain. In Tai'an area, two girls first "pass hand boxes", and then hand a bag of bran and a bag of salt to stuff into the shoes of the sedan chair. The bride holds the hand box in hand and steps off the sedan with a large square cake covered with red cloth. Come. In Juancheng, after the bride gets off the sedan chair, the two children take a bag of bran and a bag of salt respectively and stuff them into the bride's hands. Salt and bran mean "virtuous" and "blessed". In some places, the bride's feet are grilled with an iron and charcoal before getting off the sedan; in some places, an ax is placed in the sedan, and the mother-in-law wants to "bring luck". The bride's feet are not allowed to wear the sedan shoes since she put them on at her parents' home. Touch the floor until you take off your shoes and sit under the tent after entering the bridal chamber. Therefore, when getting off the sedan chair, you should walk on the red felt, which is called "inverted felt". The bride's head is covered with red scarf, and she is supported by two married women, holding vases, flowers, etc. in her arms. Some of them have two people on the left and right holding torches, and one person in front carries a brazier to the gate. There is a beating stone at the door, a saddle is placed on the stone, and a string of coins is placed on the saddle. The bride steps over it, which is called "peaceful progress". A brazier is placed at the second door and the bride steps over it, symbolizing a prosperous and prosperous life in the future. In Jiaodong and Shandong Province, there is a custom of placing two bunches of grass next to the door and covering them with girls' clothes, which are called "lion king" and "grass girl". In Linzi, they put bunches of grass on the left and right sides of the door. In Tai'an, Zibo, Binzhou, Jining and other areas, as soon as the bride passes through the door, she must press a pair of red bricks on the door and a pair of chopsticks on the bottom. In some cases, two people who belong to the dragon and tiger zodiac must place the bricks on the door. It is said that it can ward off evil spirits. As the bride walks into the courtyard, some people sprinkle cereals, colored confetti, grass knots, bran, chestnuts, dates, peanuts, etc. on her body along the way in order to drive away evil spirits. In some places, fire and dumplings are also spread at the same time, and people compete for fun.

As soon as the bride is helped into the courtyard, the ceremony of worshiping heaven and earth begins, which is an important sign of the success of the wedding. The heaven and earth table is placed in front of the hall door, with a sheng and a bucket on top, filled with sorghum, covered with red paper, a steel scale inserted in the bucket, a bunch of incense burned in the bucket in front of the bucket, and a bronze mirror erected in front of the bucket.

The bridegroom and the bride stood on the red carpet in front of the table, with the bride in the east and the man in the west. Following the call of the celebrant, they bowed once to heaven and earth, and twice to the high hall. The husband and wife bowed to each other before being sent into the bridal chamber. Tai'an worships heaven and earth in front of the incense stand. Offerings are placed on the incense stand, incense candles are lit, red felt is spread under the incense stand, and a piece of cake is placed. The groom kowtows to worship heaven and earth, and the bride stands motionless on the cake. In some places, when worshiping heaven and earth, people grab the sorghum in the bucket and scatter it on the bride's head. This is called "throwing ears", but it actually means "spreading evil spirits". In the Yangjun Township area of ??Laiyang, when the sedan arrives at the door, the father-in-law sets up the sedan curtain forward, and the guests use the stove to bake the bride's feet before helping the bride out of the sedan. At this time, the groom is lying on the kang in the bridal chamber, which is commonly known as "pressing." Kangtou". The guest helps the bride to the gate and calls the groom's nickname three times. The groom hears the call and comes, accompanies the bride on the saddle and enters the gate. Before worshiping heaven and earth, the father-in-law will kowtow in front of the heaven and earth table. After worshiping heaven and earth, after entering the house, the father-in-law will use the scales to pick off the bride's red hijab. The red hijab you pick up must be thrown up to the roof immediately. The higher it is, the more auspicious it is. In Rizhao and other places, while worshiping heaven and earth, the housekeeper or the bearer hangs the door curtain on the door of the bridal chamber, and recites auspicious words while hanging it: "The Eight Immortals on the upper side, the Eight Immortals on the lower side, please hang the door curtain on the Eight Immortals on the lower side. Hanging the door curtain on the top will give birth to a noble son, and hanging the door curtain on the bottom will give birth to a child." After the ceremony, the groom will lead the bride to the bridal chamber with a piece of red silk. When passing the dripping eaves in front of the house, the bride must step forward. Wait twelve years” before you can have a child. At the door of the bridal chamber, the groom uses the scale on the altar table to remove the bride's hood, and then the bride enters the bridal chamber. The reason for using a scale to choose a hijab is because one pound of the old scale has sixteen taels or sixteen stars. According to the six stars of the South Dipper and the seven stars of the Big Dipper, plus the three stars of fortune, wealth and longevity, the number should be sixteen, and the "auspicious star combination" Come, good luck" means. Not all hijabs are picked using a scale in front of the door, some are also removed by hand in the bridal chamber. In some places in Linyi and Jining areas, after the bride gets off the sedan, a little girl carries a rectangular piece of bacon tied with red cloth as a guide. When the bride enters the bridal chamber, the bacon is thrown to the back of the room. It is said that it is also to ward off evil spirits. In Linqing area, after the newlyweds enter the bridal chamber, the groom sprays a sip of wine on the bride's head and face, then brings a bowl of noodles to the bride and asks her to put the noodles under the kang mat, commonly known as "Luojiao Longevity Noodles".

After the bride is sent to the bridal chamber, some wear a hijab, drink the noodles, some wear a veil, wear a crown, redress, and then go to bed on cakes or stone slabs, facing the direction of the God of Joy. Sitting down is called "sitting on the tent", while Zouping calls it "sitting on the hut bed". At this time, someone brought chestnuts, red dates, peanuts, etc. and scattered them on the bed. While scattering them, they chanted "a handful of chestnuts and a handful of dates, and I will give birth to a big, fat kid next year." This is called "spreading the tent." In the past, it took three days to sit in the tent. For this reason, the bride had to go on a diet a few days before the wedding to avoid embarrassment when sitting in the tent. Later, it was changed to one day, or a symbolic afternoon. After the bride enters the bridal chamber in Rizhao, the groom and the bride have to eat the dumplings sent by their neighbors, commonly known as "little rice", and put some of the dumplings under the bed so that people who make trouble in the room can snatch them for the children. It is believed that the children have eaten the dumplings. Dumplings are easy to grow. In Weishan County, after the bride is sent into the bridal chamber, the woman who helps her out of the sedan opens her face. She rolls red eggs on her face several times and recites auspicious sayings while rolling: "Red eggs, face full of skewers, eat this year." I will eat your wedding eggs next year." The groom is not allowed to enter the bridal chamber during the day. It is believed that if he enters the bridal chamber during the day, he will be afraid of his wife for the rest of his life. At night, after the guests have dispersed, a pair of unmarried girls will accompany them to the bridal chamber. After arriving at the bridal chamber, one girl will light the lamp on her behalf, and the other will recite auspicious words: "As soon as the sun sets, a pair of eldest sisters will light the lamp. There are flowers sitting on the bed." Sister-in-law, here comes Mr. Jun. "Sister-in-law Hua, Mr. Jun, and two urchins on one pillow." The bride is sitting under the tent in the bridal chamber, while relatives, friends and neighbors come to see the bride, asking her to light cigarettes and asking for candies and snacks. , making a fuss. Wudi County is not making trouble with the daughter-in-law at this time, but with the mother-in-law. People who come to see the bride take a handful of black ash from the bottom of the pot and smear it on the mother-in-law's face. The mother-in-law is not only not annoyed, but also happy. The more you smear, the more popular you are. Outside the bridal chamber, the groom is busy entertaining guests and friends with banquets. Visitors from the bride's family are distinguished guests and must be invited to the main room to sit at the table, accompanied by corresponding people. The rest are entertained at separate tables according to relatives or villagers. Generally, men and women sit separately. There is a wedding banquet held at noon in Liangshan County. When the girl's family is moving in, the husband will invite someone to accompany the guests. There will be a separate table and a table for seven people to greet the guests. To the east of Liangshan, there are eight plates and eight large bowls on the banquet table, commonly known as "Eight-Eight Banquets", while to the west of Liangshan there are "ten large bowls". At the beginning of the banquet, the groom takes his seat, serves tea, drinks, and eats. During the banquet, toasts are made first by the groom's brothers, then by the groom, and finally by the groom's father. Three glasses of wine are required.

In the past, when people held happy events, they would often have singers come to congratulate them. Most of them are poor people begging for a living. When they hear someone's family is having a happy event, they come to join in the fun and have a meal. These people are called Xilang, and they sing mostly eulogies with no fixed format and improvisation. As soon as the bamboo boards are beaten, they start singing in front of the door. The lyrics are:

The moon crescents over Kyushu,< /p>

A red light is hung inside and silk is hung outside.

Today the auspicious stars of the zodiac are shining,

The sedan chair is carried to the gate.

The gate is covered with red carpet,

trumpets are blown and whips are fired,

flags, gongs, umbrellas and fans stand on both sides,

the bride exits The sedan chair is supported by noble people.

Wearing a red baggage and wearing a red shirt,

holding a tangerine wine pot on both sides,

the noble man helps the bride go,

stepping forward Crossing the stone and riding the saddle.

Entering the main gate brings joy.

Enter the second gate to keep safe.

As soon as we walk into the courtyard,

The Eight Immortals Table The whole thing on display:

A bucket of grain, a steelyard,

three arrows, a bow,

burning incense and setting out offerings,

p>

Respect the ancestors of heaven and earth.

The bride came to the wedding courtyard and called the groom to worship heaven and earth.

One bow to the happy heaven, two bows to the happy land,

Three bows to the parents-in-law, all satisfied,

Four bows to the four seasons, great fortune,

Five prayers for five blessings,

Six prayers for six and six great successes,

Seven bows for seven stars and great purple energy,

Eight bows for the Eight Immortals to congratulate you,

Nine times of worship, nine blessings will be given to great officials,

Ten times of worship, everything will go well.

......

After Xi Lang sang a happy song, he entered the door and shouted, "Congratulations to the uncle!" Then he knelt down and kowtowed, and casually woven red thread through the money-making " He threw the "money strings" in the courtyard and scattered them all over the place. Then he got up and retreated outside the door to find a place to rest and wait for the reward. The person in charge must quickly pick up the "money string", reward him with money, and give him a meal before sending him away.

Generally, for weddings that take place during the day, Hexin wine is drunk in the evening, which is commonly known as Jiaoxin wine, Jiaobei wine, Hewei wine, etc. In ancient times, the "He Ni" was to drink from separate gourds. Later, the two wine glasses were tied together with a red thread, or they drank from different glasses. This was the first time for the couple to drink face to face. Usually there were troublemakers watching, and the atmosphere was quite lively. To exchange drinks, the groom holds the cup in his left hand and passes it to the bride's left hand, and the bride holds the cup in her right hand and passes it to the groom's right hand. The couple drinks half a cup at the same time, and then exchanges the cups before drinking again; to drink with a string, a red thread is tied at both ends. One piece of money is placed in two wine glasses respectively. The husband and wife drink it up at the same time, or they exchange the glasses and drink again. However, the money cannot be pulled out of the wine glass. In order to have fun, the shorter the red line, the more interesting it is. While drinking the heart-to-heart wine, you can make a fuss in the house, allowing the bride and groom to prepare dishes for each other, or even feed each other. After drinking a cup of wine, the bride in Weihai will eat a bowl of oysters and a bowl of boss fish, which means "living a child" and "accompanying her until old age." In the Yimeng Mountain area, the bride has to eat eggs, which are often boiled to eighty-boiled. When eating, others deliberately ask "Are you pregnant?" The bride will gently answer "生", which means to give birth to children. Then they have to eat chestnuts, dates, etc., and someone is saying "Eat chestnuts first to give birth to a son, eat red dates first to give birth to Jiao'e..." At this time, my sister-in-law and mother-in-law also appeared. First, my sister-in-law put a new urinal under the bed and read loudly: "Put down the little basin, put down the little basin, and wait until next year to hold my nephew." The mother-in-law put a wooden urinal under the bed and also read: "Put down the wooden urn." , put down Mudun, and wait until next year to have a grandson." Next, we had longevity noodles, and everyone present rushed to eat them to join in the fun. In some places, after drinking the wine, the couple get out of bed to carry the urine pot, which is called carrying the cornucopia. The mother-in-law closes the door in the bridal chamber and the bride calls the door. The mother-in-law asks: "Who is it and what is it carrying?" Your wife and your son are carrying a cornucopia," and then opened the door to let them go.