From the Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China, men and women got married according to the "parents' orders and matchmakers' words". Marriage etiquette is very complicated, and its procedures are roughly as follows:
The matchmaker first measures the family situation of both men and women, commonly known as "measuring media", and then orally introduces the situation to both parents. Both sides believe that after the "door-to-door", the matchmaker wrote down the date and year of men and women in red paper and passed it on to each other, and each put the red paper under the shrine. If there is no serious accident at home within half a month to 1 month, parents will find someone to count them as men and women. Choose an auspicious day after "He Geng", and parents of both men and women will prepare a gift "Dial Geng". The man gives jewelry or coins, and the woman gives stationery, shoes, handkerchiefs and other things in pairs. The matchmaker guided the woman's representative to the men's hall, lit incense sticks, set off firecrackers, told the ancestors and gods, and held a ceremony of "dialing Geng". Parents or relatives of both sides write the date and time of birth on red paper and exchange them with each other, which is called "Luan Shu" or "Geng Shu". It is binding on both men and women.
65438+ 0 or several months before the wedding, the man chooses the wedding date and writes it on red paper, and asks the matchmaker to inform the woman and bring gifts, clothes, jewelry, etc. As a dowry, this is called "reporting to heaven". If the woman has no objection, arrange the wedding according to the date proposed by the man. One or two days before the wedding (or on the wedding day), the woman carries the dowry to the man's house with a suitcase, which is called "paving the house". The man immediately returned the forged cloth and silk, gold and silver jewelry, cakes, candy, fish, chickens and ducks (or geese) (all even, meaning in pairs) to his wife's house, calling them "gifts". The woman will send back her son-in-law's clothes and crown shoes, commonly known as "He Lang clothes". The day before the wedding, the man's family prepared wine to entertain the matchmaker. After the banquet, the groom himself or his parents prepare "three sacrifices" to invite the matchmaker, and the matchmaker also prepares gifts in return.
On the wedding day, the man prepares four colored lanterns, commonly known as "sedan chair", accompanied by colorful flags, ribbons, whips and guns, and is led by the matchmaker to visit the bride's house, which is called "receiving the bride". The door is pasted with red couplets; Generally, the man writes the side book "Marry the bride on an auspicious day" and the woman writes the side book "Return on a Good Day". The male guest who was seen off by the woman was called "Grandpa" and the female guest was called "Grandma", depending on her family background, wealth and dignity, or walking or sitting in a sedan chair, following the bride's colorful journey.
The bride Cai Yu stopped outside the door, ready to attend a "mowing" ceremony. Li Sheng read the words of mowing grass, killing chickens, sprinkling salt, tea and rice, saying that this would keep the evil spirits brought by the bride out. After that, the sedan chair was carried to the front of the hall, and two wealthy women (people who avoided remarriage) helped the bride out of the sedan chair and introduced it into the bridal chamber. After a short break, the bride will receive the best man, light candles and set off firecrackers, master the ceremonies, guide the bride and groom, worship the heavens and the earth first, then the parents-in-law, and then the husband and wife will worship each other, which is called "worship", commonly known as "worship the church".
During the wedding ceremony, students lead the newlyweds to the candle, take two small cups (cups), sieve the wine into them, and the husband and wife drink, then lock the cups, tie them with HongLing and put them under the pillow, which is called "Hexiang".
The newly-married couple, each holding the same knot, tied to each other and sitting on the edge of the bed. While they are reciting poems, they sprinkle red dates, peanuts and sweets into their accounts, which means that "jujube (early) gives birth to a precious child", which is called "laying accounts". After the ceremony, the guests left the new house.
On the night of the noisy room, relatives, friends and neighbors gathered in the new house. The host gave a banquet to entertain refreshments, beat gongs and drums, sang and danced, and forced the bride and groom to sieve tea and pass cigarettes and make jokes at will. The couple didn't feel humiliated, and the parents didn't stop them. It is called "noisy room", also known as "bridal chamber". There is a saying that "there is no difference between three days."
The morning after Mao Yan, the man hosted a wine for the "grandpa" and "grandma" who saw the woman off, accompanied by elders and relatives, commonly known as Mao Yan. After the banquet, there is a ceremony to wash the kitchen, the chef sings praises, and the people who see him off give the chef and waiter red envelopes as rewards.
Three days after the wedding, the groom's house prepares sugar, vegetables and wine, and the bride and groom go back to their parents' house in a sedan chair or on foot, which is called "returning to the door". The bride's family invites guests to accompany the groom, commonly known as "Huimen wine". After drinking, the newlyweds all went home, and the woman didn't spend the night.
After the founding of New China, the new marriage law was implemented, and men and women were independent in marriage. I agree that young people should still worry about their parents and be introduced by relatives and friends. Before getting married, register with the local government, get a marriage certificate, and then choose the wedding time. Marriage etiquette, the countryside basically follows the old rules. However, customs such as "crossing the eight characters", "passing on the Geng", "parting ancestors" and "mowing the grass" are gradually abolished, media invitations and worship of the world are streamlined, and it is rare for brides to cry and marry, so they all take sedan chairs instead of walking or riding. The number of bride price, the number of banquets and the specifications of banquets should proceed from reality and do what we can. Most units and towns adopt new-style weddings, which are mostly held on New Year's Day, Spring Festival, May Day and November Day, and are presided over by parents or unit administrators and trade union leaders, with introducers, colleagues, relatives and friends attending. Generally speaking, at the beginning of the ceremony, firecrackers are set off (occasionally musical instruments are played in the concert), the host speaks, the witness reads the marriage certificate, the guests and relatives congratulate, the bride and groom answer, and the ceremony fires a gun. After the meeting, a banquet was held to entertain the guests. Some people don't hold any ceremony, but only invite wedding wine. When the fifth course of the banquet is fish balls, firecrackers are set off, and the newlyweds propose a toast to the guests, which is called a "banquet" to show their gratitude to the guests for coming. After the 1970s, group weddings and travel weddings were held one after another. Collective weddings are generally sponsored by mass organizations such as trade unions, women's federations and youth organizations, and several couples are invited to participate. 199 1 On May 4th, 2008, the "Hengjiao Youth Collective Wedding" was held in the banquet hall of Lotus Building, and 18 couples attended the wedding. It is easier to travel and get married. After the newlyweds complete their marriage registration, they will go to scenic spots or big cities for their honeymoon. When they come back, they will invite relatives and friends to eat wedding candy or hold a banquet.