Engagement and wedding customs in Gaomi City, Weifang, Shandong

The wedding customs in Gaomi City, Weifang, Shandong Province mainly include the following steps:

1. Discussing marriage: First, the parents of both men and women need to bring their birth dates and ask the fortune teller. Good or bad, then understand each other and investigate. Then, the betrothal gift is agreed upon through a matchmaker, and once both parties have no objections, the engagement takes place. During the engagement process, the man's parents and elders in the family bring gifts and go to the woman's home accompanied by a matchmaker, which is meant to propose marriage.

2. Engagement: After the parents of both parties agree on the betrothal gift, the engagement will take place.

3. Send the date: The man uses paper to clearly list the wedding time and related matters in a traditional style and sends it to the girl's family so that the girl's family can be prepared.

4. Wedding: On the morning of the wedding day, the trumpeter first comes to the main door of the host's house to play a tune, and then goes into the bridal chamber to play again. After a short rest, the wedding sedan will set off. Generally, there are two sedans for welcoming brides. The one for the groom is called the "official sedan" and the one prepared for the bride is called the "bridal sedan."

5. Worship at the wedding hall: The bride and groom must first pay homage to the bride’s ancestors and parents. The bride has finished dressing up, and the trumpeters are singing joyfully. The bride is carried out of the boudoir on a chair by her brothers and put into a sedan chair, which means that her feet will not touch the soil of her mother's family.

6. Make the bed: On the wedding day, find two children and scatter dates, chestnuts, peanuts, etc. on the bed, which means having a baby early; and arrange a golden boy to roll back and forth on the bed, which means wealth.

The above are the steps and contents of the engagement and wedding customs in Gaomi City, Weifang, Shandong.