Sima Guang said in Volume III of Wen Gong Yi Shu: "In ancient times, women and husbands were worshipped as gifts. Old village custom: men and women worship each other, women worship first, men worship women and women worship again. The beggar's ceremony is that men worship again and women worship four times. In ancient times, married women had no tools to pay homage. Today, it is natural to meet in the secular world and pay homage to it. "
In the Tang Dynasty, this custom was also called "seeing menstruation", which means seeing in-laws. This is a very grand ceremony, usually held the next day. After the bride meets her in-laws, she will also meet the elders of her husband's family and all the relatives of men, women and children in turn. The bride sat in front of bright candles for three days and made love under the gaze of relatives. In the Tang Dynasty, this custom was also called "watching China candles". Zhu Qingyu, a poet in the Tang Dynasty, wrote a poem: "The bridal chamber stopped the red candle last night and waited for Xiaotang to worship my aunt." This is a marriage custom.
On the wedding day, the bride and groom held a ceremony to pay tribute to the bride. The two bridesmaids appeared as "Zan" and "Zan" respectively. The procedure of meeting the bride is as follows: praise: the groom stands in front of the sedan chair. Tong Zan: Lift the sedan chair and the couple will get up. Praise: The groom bows (hands offer the invitation to the bride) Praise: The bride and groom go straight to the front of the drawing room. Zan: The bride and groom are in place. Tong Zan: The bride and groom go on a pilgrimage. Zan: Bow down and burn incense. Tong Zan: Kneel down, kowtow, kowtow again, kowtow three times, and then there are the three worships that are common in TV series: one worships heaven and earth, the other worships Gaotang, the husband and wife, and finally enters the bridal chamber.
In ancient times, men had to greet the bride. "Greeting" is the most solemn etiquette among the six rites. Without the groom, there is no married bride. In ancient times, there were people on foot and by car, and it was more common to greet them with eight-person sedan chairs.
People in sedan chairs must be strong. Never answer someone else's sedan chair. They have to move around. When you come back from the wedding ceremony, you have to take another road to avoid going back. If you pass through temples, shrines, graves, wells, rivers and other places on the way, you must cover the sedan chair with a red carpet by the married man as a means of "avoiding evil spirits".
If you meet a funeral procession on the road, the person who greets the wedding will say, "Lucky today, you have met a treasure!" " "
Visiting the church, also known as "worshipping heaven and earth", is a very important ceremony in the wedding. Visiting the church does not belong to the etiquette in the ancient "Three Books and Six Rites" [2]. The next volume of Hu Pu 'an's China Folk Customs is Marriage in Haining, Zhejiang: "When you leave the sedan chair, put the rice bag straight in front of the candle, and the bride will step on the rice bag, saying that it will be good for generations to come. Visiting heaven and earth is called visiting the church. The couple got married after drinking. The bride and groom each held one end of red and green satin and sent it to the bridal chamber. They sat on the bed and spilled the fruit all over the floor, saying that they were sitting on the bed and spilled the bill. "
The custom of welcoming the bride was very popular after the Song Dynasty. After meeting the bride, she became a member of the man's family. Meng Yuanshen's "Tokyo Dream Record Marrying a Woman" recorded the custom of worshipping the bride, saying: "On the fifth watch of the next day, there are magnificent dressing tables and mirrors, which are called worshipping the bride. Visiting relatives of elders for the second time, everyone brought colorful silks and satins, exquisite workmanship, shoes, pillows and so on. This is called a reward. Your elders will give you an answer. "
When "paying homage to the church", the master of ceremonies presiding over the wedding will say loudly: "One worships heaven and earth, the other worships the high hall, and the husband and wife will send it to the bridal chamber." In the forty-ninth chapter of The Story of Awakening Marriage, Liang Chao got married: "On April 13th, Jiang Zhai came to make the bed. Clothes and clothes have bright beds and curtains, so there is no need to make a fuss. In the evening, the new bed laid by the common people was not free, so I measured a bag of mung beans and pressed it on the bed. On the 15th, I married Miss Jiang, listened to Mrs. Zhao, worshipped heaven and earth, drank wine, worshipped my mother and father, and paid the bill. Everything is in line with custom. When I came back from the door, the Chiang family sent three meals. "
In fact, worship of heaven and earth represents the worship of the god of heaven and earth; And worshipping Gaotang is the embodiment of filial piety; As for the worship of husband and wife, it means that husband and wife respect each other as guests. To some extent, sexual intercourse was in ancient times when a few women could have the same taste as men.
"Book of Rites" records: "Those who are confused about the ceremony will take advantage of their two surnames and go to the temple to serve the later generations. Therefore, the most important thing for men is to accept gifts, ask names, collect levies and invite guests. All the masters are only outside the door a few times, and they will be promoted by resignation and worship. ..... Therefore, those who are surprised by the ceremony are also the foundation of the ceremony. "
The so-called six gifts, according to the book of rites, are receiving gifts, asking names, Najib, receiving gifts, inviting parties and welcoming guests. It is said that the Six Rites originated in the Zhou Dynasty. Some scholars believe that there were six rites in Zhou Wenwang's time, but some people didn't follow them.
In the third year of Emperor Ping of Han Dynasty, Liu Xin and others set a wedding date [1], and the fourth Fu Fuqing told Qian Langshi's family that it was feasible to meet in person. The next year, the queen accepted Cai and Buqi. During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the wedding of the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess came uninvited, and from the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Eastern Jin Dynasty, many people did not follow the six rites to get married.
After the Tang dynasty, the crown prince began to marry, and the prince's wedding would follow six rites. Later, the premise of "asking names" was "acceptance", and the premise of "invitation meeting" was "acceptance"; Therefore, although the concept is still in accordance with the Six Rites, in fact there are only four Rites, namely, accepting talents, accepting the pole, Zheng Na and kissing. Zhu Xi's family gifts combined "Naji" and "Zheng Na" into one, so there were only three gifts.
In the Yuan Dynasty, there was a ceremony to discuss marriage.
In the first year of Hongwu in Ming Dynasty, the wedding was held according to Zhu Xi's family ceremony.
In the Qing Dynasty, according to Tongli, officials in the Han Dynasty had nine ceremonies, but they were all merged into adult ceremony and adult ceremony. In ancient times, there were only five rituals left, namely, discussing marriage, receiving gifts, receiving coins, inviting guests and welcoming guests. Other literati and marriage are relatively simple, while folk weddings are generally carried out in accordance with Zhu's family law.
In the Tang Dynasty, newly-married women met their aunts and uncles, and their common name was meeting the bride. In the Northern Song Dynasty, on the wedding day, the bride first worshipped the temple and held a ceremony to tie the knot. On the fifth watch of the next day, she used a table with a mirror on it, looked up and called the bride exhibition. In the Southern Song Dynasty, it was changed to a wedding day. After a sumptuous ceremony, the newlyweds take towels to the nave to uncover the bride's veil first, and then "visit the church, visit the gods and temples, and attend the ceremony of relatives". Later generations usually worship heaven and earth before the bride on the wedding day. During the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, there was a saying that worship of heaven and earth and ancestor worship were collectively called sacrificial rites.
In the Tang Dynasty, it was widely practiced from the royal family to ordinary people. After the Song Dynasty, it became popular all over the country and was worshipped by heaven and earth, ancestors, aunts (in-laws) and couples, indicating that women have since become a member of the male family, thus becoming the most important gift in the wedding process. In modernization, the scope of "worshipping the church" has expanded. In addition to the ancestors of heaven and earth, we should also worship the Bi family and be friendly to guests and friends. On the second day after the wedding, the village paid a visit to the ancestral temple, but before the wedding, it was still necessary to pay a visit to the neighborhood of the cultural station.
During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the worship of husband and wife was fixed as a kind of marriage etiquette. Before the Tang Dynasty, people in the northern area called it "Worship Ceremony", which was held in a special Lu Qing (a house decorated with green curtains). In the Tang Dynasty, the word "meeting the bride" officially appeared. In the Northern Song Dynasty, on the wedding day, the bride first worshipped the temple and held a ceremony to tie the knot. On the fifth watch of the next day, she used a table with a mirror on it, looked up and called the bride exhibition. In the Southern Song Dynasty, it was changed to a wedding day. After a sumptuous ceremony, the newlyweds take towels to the nave to uncover the bride's veil first, and then "visit the church, visit the gods and temples, and attend the ceremony of relatives". Later generations usually worship heaven and earth before the bride on the wedding day.
During the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, there was a saying that worship of heaven and earth and ancestor worship were collectively called sacrificial rites. In modern times, it is held in the morning, afternoon and some time in the afternoon. Generally, couples set up a confession, incense sticks, Chen Zu memorial tablet and so on in the ancestral hall of the man's house before worshiping. At the beginning of worship, candles, incense, firecrackers and music are lit. In this way, Li Sheng (that is, the wedding host) chanted: "Cigarettes are ethereal, candles are brilliant, and the bride and groom are in the flower room together." After the couple are in place, they will chant "one worships heaven and earth, one worships Gaotang (parents), and the husband and wife worship each other to send the bridal chamber", as if they bow down in order. In feudal society, the bride and groom first worship their ancestors in the temple, and then the husband and wife pay homage. After the meeting, the bride and groom stepped into the bridal chamber surrounded by everyone.
In Jinzhong, Jinnan and other places, a saddle should be placed in front of the bridal chamber or on the threshold in advance, and the saddle will be removed as soon as the bride crosses her front foot. In addition to some daily necessities, wedding couplets should be posted at the door, big red double happiness characters should be posted on the windows, and red candles should be lit in the room. In Xinzhou and other places, a face rabbit will be hung at the entrance of the bridal chamber.
Around Qin county, there is a bucket in the bridal chamber, which contains grains, bronze mirrors and other town objects to ward off evil spirits; Lamps and candles are hung on high walls and do not burn overnight, which is commonly known as "longevity lamp".
In Yanbei Pinglu, after the groom enters the bridal chamber, he will shoot bows and arrows in all directions, which is called "driving the white tiger".
In some places in Jinzhong and Jinnan, bows and arrows are hung on the walls. Folk believe that the bridal chamber is vulnerable to evil spirits, and if it is not suppressed, abnormal accidents will occur, which is not good for the bride and groom. In Qixian, Jinzhong and other places, after entering the bridal chamber, the bride and groom sit side by side on the edge of the kang and are greeted by the "Quanfu people", pressing the bride's skirt on the groom's robe. The groom used the balance beam to remove the "red veil" from the bride's head and then quit. The bride's sister-in-law immediately took off the new shoes on her feet and put them on for her. The so-called "new shoes and new styles" means that the bride should follow the rules of the man's family and be bound by her husband's family in the future.
In the Hequ area of Xinzhou, after the groom takes off the bride's red veil, he will symbolically comb her hair with a comb, commonly known as "Shangtou", indicating that this woman has become his wife since then. Previously, after the bride and groom entered the bridal chamber, they also used the same utensils to eat and drink and carry out the "wedding ceremony". Generally speaking, the bride and groom drink a little from each cup, then mix two glasses of wine and drink in the other cup. The customs in different parts of Shanxi are slightly different. The bride and groom have a glass of wine in Shou Ping, Yanbei, which is called "Jade Emperor Wine" and "Harmonious Wine". Wenxi and other places have evolved into the "wedding face" of the bride and groom on their wedding night. On the wedding night, there is a custom of "stepping on the four corners" in some places in southern Shanxi.
It will be held from 7: 00 am to 1: 00 pm. People who marry women will put incense sticks, memorial tablets or portraits of ancestors of Chen in front of their houses. Put a grain bucket with whole grains, peanuts, red dates, etc. , with the word "double happiness" on it. Before visiting the church, light candles, set off firecrackers, play music, and then give children songs. The bride and groom all bow down in the same place, one for heaven and earth, one for parents, and three couples to worship. After the memorial ceremony, enter the bridal chamber. Change the wedding to bow.
After the bride and groom enter the house, there are customs such as withdrawing cereal beans and holding blankets, and then they have to "pay homage". In ancient weddings, the bride always wore a red veil on her head, which was unveiled by the groom with a balance when she entered the bridal chamber, or by her mother-in-law. "The Story of Awakening Marriage" said: "Before the couple arrived at the incense table, Mrs. Di uncovered the veil with chopsticks."
"Meng Liang Lu Marriage" contains a new bride's door, "Choose an official to hold a flower fight, hold a colorful fruit of five grains and beans, retreat after looking at the door, and the children contend for it, which is called scattered grains and beans."
"Talking about the Ministry of Taxation": "Today, people marry women, sedan chairs meet the door, and people are transferred to the land. After reading Dr. Bai Taifu's poem "Marrying a Wife in Spring", there is a saying: "The felt mattress in Tsing Yi is beautiful and oblique. "Then this vulgar Tang Dynasty is long gone."
Zhao Yi's "Ke Xu Congkao, Visiting the DPRK" Volume 31: "On the third day after marriage, the woman met her aunt, whose common name was Ying Chao."
Zhu's Interpretation of the Book of Rites says, "Women worship, husbands answer, and husbands cover their heads."
Zhu Shi's "etiquette abbreviation" says: "Wu Donglai's wedding ... After saying goodbye to her parents, the woman covered her head with a handkerchief and got on the bus to her husband's house. Bye, Bim (mother-in-law) is married. "
In ancient times, brides only paid homage to their in-laws and husbands' elders, but since the Tang Dynasty, they also paid homage to the guests who watched the ceremony, so the Tang people also called it "memorial". In the Song Dynasty, the custom of new people paying homage to the court appeared. Sima Guang, a famous historian in the Northern Song Dynasty, said in his book Wen Gong Yi Shu: "The old custom in rural areas is that men and women worship each other, women worship first, men worship women first, and women worship again. The beggar's ceremony is that men worship again and women worship four times. In ancient times, married women had no tools to pay homage. Today, the secular world begins to meet and worship. Reasonable and reasonable, it is appropriate not to waste. "
The bride's ceremony was very popular in the Song Dynasty. "Dream of China in Tokyo" records the custom of Song people bowing to the court, saying: "On the fifth watch of the next day, a mirror table and mirror were placed on it, saying that the bride bowed to the court. Visiting relatives of elders for the second time, everyone brought colorful silks and satins, exquisite workmanship, shoes, pillows and so on. This is called a reward. Zunka will be replaced with a positive one. That's a congratulations. "
In the Song Dynasty, there was a custom of "holding a towel" when worshipping the church. "A Dream in Tokyo" reads: "My husband invited the bride out before his bed, and each of the two vacant seats gave him a heart called' holding a towel'. The man hung in the dispute, the woman held the withered hand, and the man went out, face to face, and went to the front of the temple to pay homage. After the visit, the woman went back to help the people worship. "
In the Southern Song Dynasty, the instruments for receiving aunts and uncles changed greatly. Uncle Gubai was still the next day, but it was still the Tang Dynasty and the Northern Song Dynasty still followed the old system. It changed in the Southern Song Dynasty. (Dream of Liang Lu) According to records, a ceremony was held to meet my uncle and aunt that night. The second episode (The Complete Book of Momo) also includes: "Wen Gong (a family gift) will see his aunt the next day and the temple on the third. Now I am a secular woman, and I will worship my grandparents. It's been a long time. " It can be seen that since the Southern Song Dynasty, new folk women have to visit their uncles, aunts, relatives and elders after entering the temple. Since then, "one worships the ancestors of heaven and earth, the other worships the relatives of in-laws, and the newlyweds worship each other" has become a common custom at later weddings. At the wedding of Princess Hongzhi in the Ming Dynasty, "the princess told Ma to worship heaven and earth, eight times". In this way, the folk "worship of heaven and earth" was officially listed as a wedding ceremony, which became an important program of China's wedding customs and was widely circulated.
The custom of pilgrimage in modern times is very popular all over the country. In some places, besides worshipping the ancestors of heaven and earth, they also worship "candles" and "mirrors". The ceremony of worshipping flowers and candles is: in the lobby, two red candles burning very high are placed on the altar, and the bride and groom worship each other. There is also the so-called "sitting on wax". The ceremony is to decorate tables and chairs with embroidered curtains, set tables and wine on the table, and have a high fever. The groom sits in the right position and faces outward. The best man and the groom's "friends" sit on both sides, waiting for the bride to arrive, which is similar to "sitting high". It is hard to say what it means without literature explanation.
Couples are drinking acacia wine in the new house. The wedding was held after the groom welcomed the bride into the house. Since ancient times. This usage of "gourd" is divided into two parts. The handles of two utensils (gourd) are connected with seven parts to hold wine, which means that the couple will drink * * *, which means that they will become one from now on, and they are called "husband and wife". Later generations changed it to a cup, which is called "making a cup of wine". There was a custom of "tying the knot" in the Song Dynasty, in which a lamp was cast under the bed to make it lean backwards, indicating that men prefer women, yin and yang are harmonious, and there is an obvious sexual symbol. And by looking at the pitch of the two cups thrown on the ground, we can see whether the couple will be harmonious in the future. Some divination refers to marriage, which was later called "marriage".
"Book of Rites": "When a woman arrives, her husband will enter and eat in prison, so she is gregarious and humble." Kong Dui said: "* * * Those who eat in prison eat the same sacrifices, but they don't have different sacrifices ... If they get married, it won't make any difference, and it will mean harmony. * * * Prison means the same level. The body is the same, and the same is blind and not separated. "
Song Mengyuan's Tokyo Dream Record Marries a Woman: "Drinking a glass of wine with each other is called a toast. After drinking, throw a lamp and put a corolla under the bed. When the lights are turned up and turned off, everyone will celebrate and then cover the bill. "
Song and Wu's Dream Marriage: "The ceremony official ... ordered the prostitute to hold a double cup, tie the bottom of the lamp with a red heart and a green heart, salute after the ceremony, throw the lamp back and forth, set the bed and get good luck."
In the early Tang dynasty, the couple just gargled with wine, not really drinking it. It was not until the Tang Dynasty that it really evolved into drinking and had to be swallowed. At this time, the ladle was replaced by a real wine glass, called "Acacia Cup". Newlyweds want to drink acacia wine. Song Wenzhi, a poet in the prosperous Tang Dynasty, described this custom in his poem "Mo Ling's silver arrow breaks dawn to make a cup of acacia".
In Dunhuang in the Tang Dynasty, couples usually drink some wine, and some people sing a blessing: "Wine is Pu Tao wine, and it will be the monarch in the future. Fortunately, it can last for thousands of years. " The bride replied, "The wine is Pu Tao wine. The master tasted it first, but the girl stopped tasting it. The wine spilled on the south wall." In the Tang Dynasty, two cups were tied with colored cotton, and some even let children take acacia cups alternately. The marriage documents in the Tang Dynasty had a direct influence on the Song people.
After the Song Dynasty, most people no longer used "four unique and two incense" in the early incense burning ceremony, but used ordinary wine vessels. By the Song Dynasty, juggling had evolved into "drinking a glass of wine".
"Tokyo Dream" records that Song people usually use colored lines to connect two wine glasses, and each couple drinks a cup, which is called a cup. After drinking, throw the cup under the bed. If two glasses are tilted upward and closed, it will be considered as good luck and everyone will come to congratulate you. The marriage custom of "drinking a glass of wine" has been used since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and has been passed down from generation to generation as a characteristic part of traditional weddings in China. Couplet cups are special cups for drinking a glass of wine at ancient weddings.
In the Ming Dynasty, Hu Yinglin mentioned the "Jade Cup" in the last words of Party A and Party B, saying: "The shape of the vessel is strange, and the two cups are opposite and connected into one, which makes the wine pass. There is a phoenix between the two cups, and the phoenix stands on the crouching beast. " The combined cup mentioned in this document is basically the same in shape and structure as this double-painted cup from Baoshan Chu Tomb, except that the phoenix-bird double cup is missing a squatting animal. So this painted double cup should be the so-called "combination cup".
In the documents of Jin, Tang and Song dynasties, there are records about "changing cups", and it is considered that toasting with changing cups is an important etiquette at weddings. Jade carving cups have been handed down since Ming and Qing Dynasties.