In ancient marriage, young men and women were arranged by their parents, and the words of the matchmaker matched each other, so the marriage etiquette was quite complicated. As described in Datong County Records: "The matchmaker told both parents that they agreed, and then sent Geng Tie to get married, get married and get a job. Changing the name means asking the ancient name and giving the bride price; One day, when you get married, you will give a gift, which is called: tea; That is to say, it is attached to the invitation letter, which is called the General Book, that is, Goonaki and Zheng Na. Please invite the ceremony; The day before the wedding, the husband prepared the meat and brought it to the woman's house. It is said that meat is: meat from mother, and face is: face from mother, named: makeup; The woman's family married her husband's family with what she invested; On the due date, my husband's family prepared epaulettes. He chose two famous prostitutes to greet his daughter and named them: marriage. The bride's family also chose two famous prostitutes to visit her husband's house and named them: seeing off the bride; A gentleman's family went to the wedding, but Shu Ren didn't. He only takes pictures of his wife, and her husband is outside the door. Since we entered nave, we have been treated with courtesy from external incense tables, worshipped by our husbands, but not by women. Call it: worship heaven and earth, and tie the knot like the ancient system; The next day, the couple paid homage to their ancestors, parents and distant relatives. They are called: visiting the church, that is, seeing their aunts and uncles in ancient temples; On that day, women's furniture was sent to her husband's family, that is, ancient gifts were also given to her aunt; Seeing my husband's wife's parents, I was a hiker for three days and a Buji hiker for three to five days. Daughters also follow their husbands' wives. Their names are: Huimen; The same is true of the next month, when women live in January, which is also called "living in the month". This is also a common courtesy. "

After liberation, with the changes of the times, the wedding etiquette in Datong area is much simpler than before, but in order to get lucky in marriage, the groom usually wears red flowers when welcoming the bride. The groom's brother-in-law or friend is the best man, and the groom will bring the bride a red cloth belt called "tie the knot"; Take a bottle with you and put an onion in it, which is called "after taking root"; There is also a piece of pork belly, called "mother's meat" and "five auspicious parties". When the bride gets on the bus, her family must give the groom a plate of jiaozi, and the jiaozi is covered with paper-cut red hi characters, which is called "Happy Family"; At the same time, the woman's family will chop off a few ribs from the mother's meat and return them to the groom, indicating that the husband and wife are harmonious after marriage, which is called "inseparable bones and muscles." When the bride and groom hold a wedding, a five-star red flag will be hung in the yard.

The wedding procedure is as follows: (a master of ceremonies sings the ceremony)

First, the wedding begins;

2. The groom, bride and guests are seated;

Third, present flowers and colors to the bride and groom;

Fourth, fire guns and play music;

Verb (abbreviation of verb) witness speaks (reading marriage certificate);

6. Speech by the officiating person (parents thank the guests);

7. Presenter's speech;

8. Guest speeches;

9. The bride and groom bow three times to the host, witness, introducer and guests;

Ten, the bride and groom bow to each other;

Eleven, the bride and groom introduce love stories;

12. Temporary motion: People attending the wedding can ask the bride and groom all kinds of jokes, mostly jokes such as "getting married and having children". No matter how embarrassed the bride and groom are, they can't lose their temper;

Thirteen, courtesy;

14. When the guests sit down for dinner, the bride and groom respect them one by one.

Marriage alliance:

Decorate with lanterns, hold a wedding and dance with dragons and phoenixes.

In spring, mandarin ducks practice, and amber cups pour moonlight.

Poem title: Red leaves and concentric sentences, drinking yellow flowers as cups.

For example, Qi Mei said that being in the bird screen is a kind of enjoyment and a beautiful marriage.

The wedding banquet welcomes guests in the new house.

The new house is beaming, the new house is beaming, the wedding welcomes the wife and the marriage is happy.

When husband and wife get married, the piano tunes the phoenix sound.

Out of the water, red-violet blooms side by side, and sunny Cai Feng flies happily together.

Crosslinking:

Guan Ju's elegance, the harmony between husband and wife, a hundred years of happiness, marriage, the longevity of Yuanyang, the prosperity of the fifth century, the case of Qi Mei.

★ Datong Customs★ Part II-Mourning Customs

The funeral customs of Datong in ancient times were quite complicated. Generally, it is divided into three procedures: small gathering, big gathering, burning paper, sending lights, farewell, funeral and recovery. As described in Datong County Records, "When I started to die, I cried countless times, finished my work and entrusted myself to my friends. All great achievements are made of hemp, which is called "dividing my head"; The family split the cloth and wrapped it from the beginning. After three days, it became mourning, and the clothes below were taken and began to be collected; Funeral in the nave, drinking at night; Every meal has to be sacrificed. On this day, relatives and current friends learned to mourn with paper, named: burning paper; That night, I cried in the Chenghuang Temple, named: Send a lamp; On the seventh day, relatives and friends offered wine, which was called "Sheng Xin" and "Kai Hang". You Biyan gave birth to an expert to drink; Most of the poor people were buried in 1979, and some rich people were buried years later, which was indecent. Only those gentlemen and ordinary people who know courtesy will be buried within 100 days. A few days before the burial date, you will be buried with relatives and friends. Three days ago, relatives and friends made a drink named Ciling. Yan is like a crane, so is the burial. Everything such as setting up a mourning platform, setting up a soul silk, setting up an inscription, painting statues, making funerary wares, serving as the Lord of the gods, moving coffins, setting up coffins, and offering sacrifices to the earth gods was made. However, Shu Ren worshiped Buddha and was buried for three days. His master offered a sacrifice to the tomb, which was called "Fu San, and then returned to the round tomb". There are also people who cry in the grave for three or five days. "

After liberation, with the changes of the times, funeral customs have been greatly simplified, especially after 1966 Datong built a crematorium, burial was gradually eliminated. Generally, people only hold a memorial service, where relatives and friends mourn and then send the deceased to the crematorium for cremation. This civilized and simple form of funeral has gradually been widely accepted by the people.

The procedure of the memorial service is: (an emcee singing ceremony)

First of all, the memorial service began, and everyone stood still;

Second, offer wreaths and eulogies;

Third, play funeral music;

Fourth, silence (three minutes of silence);

Fifth, make a eulogy;

Sixth, bow to the dead three times;

Seven, burning wreaths, burning eulogy;

Eight, courtesy.

Funeral elegy

Driving a crane to the west, the voice is still there, the years are really old, the sense of morality is always bright, the hard work lasts forever, the grief is deep, the ambition is not paid, and the fragrance disappears.

Give yourself up for others and work hard for life.

To die in memory of the revolution is simple for the people.

I returned to China in the spirit of my hometown.

Hanukkah shines on future generations, full of blood and tears.

Sad news, sad songs, I want to see my voice empty and tears.

Following the legacy, I vowed to smell it and taught apricot to be speechless.

In old age, hope is still in the autumn wind.

The voice is still there, the night is still cold, and tears are shed in Sun Lan.

Holding his grandson's past kindness is as deep as the sea, and being a son is not ashamed.

It's hard to be ashamed to be a man if you endure the present pain and cry.

Half-hearted architecture is sad and bad.

The fragrant clouds of the immortals surprised the fans of Mount Tai.

Fan Yi greatly appreciated this and went to Jiuquan to express his admiration.

The hearse was driven deeply and it hurt for a long time.

★ Datong custom ★ Third child custom

In Datong area, after the baby is born, grandparents must send clothes, bedding, pillows, shoes and socks to the newborn baby. When the child is born 12 days, women among relatives and friends will come to visit the child's mother, which is called "inquiring". It is necessary to bring some gifts such as brown sugar, dried noodles and cakes to express condolences to the parturient. There should also be a light meal at the maternal home to entertain guests. During childbirth, outsiders are forbidden to enter the delivery room, especially men from other families. In order to prevent anyone from trespassing, a red cloth strip is hung on the door, indicating that there are parturients at home and outsiders are not allowed to enter. Before the full moon, the baby's parents or other elders should give the baby a name. At the beginning, there should be a "birth name", also called "nickname", and there should be no surname to call it. In a few days, another name will be called by surname, also called "official name", which will be used for registration and school.

One month after the baby is born, parents should give it a "full moon", a hundred days as a "hundred days" and the first anniversary as a birthday. When celebrating the "full moon", "centenary" and birthdays, parents' relatives and friends should bring gifts to celebrate and hold a banquet to entertain guests.

Now the number of only children is the largest. Babies will solemnly celebrate their "full moon", "centenary" and birthdays, and some even entertain guests. When the child reaches the age of 12, it will be celebrated. It is called "round lock".

Birthday information

Thousands of miles of beautiful homes, God-given stone forest, Dangui, Kirin, Xi and her daughter, the apple of her eye, Xi and her, thinking about Yanqing, tile, artistic plan, melon, Xi and her heart.

★ Datong Customs ★ Part IV-Famous Customs

Every child is born with a name given by his parents. There is also the custom of naming children in Datong area. Every parent or parents should name their children according to their own values, aesthetics, hobbies and expectations. The standard requirements are: pleasant to read, loud to shout, beautiful to write and profound to remember. Being able to meet the requirements of these four standards is a good name. Any good name must be your favorite, loved by your family, and even won the favor of others.

So, how can we meet the above four standards? With this problem, the author visited some predecessors, celebrities, experts and scholars. Taken together, there are roughly the following five rules:

First of all, name by genealogy:

As far back as the Sui and Tang Dynasties in Datong, Confucianism has developed, and some famous families have gradually emerged. In order to show off their family prestige and pass it on from generation to generation, I hope to live forever and write a genealogy. When writing a genealogy, write your name, official position, political achievements, etc. Ancestor records are generally recorded according to the number of generations, and each generation can continue to record them. This trend of continuing to write genealogy became more popular in Ming and Qing dynasties, not only among famous families, but also among ordinary well-off families, especially in rural areas. Whenever a child is born, we must first find out which generation his father is. What are the names of the children's peers? What should a child be called next to his brother and sister? It was named. This family, which pays the most attention to its name according to its seniority, belongs to four famous Confucian families (namely, Kong Qiu, Meng He, Zeng Shen and Yan Hui). According to Records of the Historian, in the twelfth year of Emperor Gaozu, Liu Bang "returned from Huainan, crossed Shandong and sacrificed Confucius (a pig, a Niu Yi and a sheep) in Thai prison". Later, Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty, Tang Gaozong Li Zhi, Xuanzong Li Longji, Taizu Guo Wei of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, Zhao Heng of Song Zhenzong, Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty and Emperor Qianlong all went to Qufu to offer sacrifices to Confucius to show their respect for Confucianism.

, Cheng,, Yan.

Xingyu is widely circulated, and the signs are auspicious.

Let Devi look down on you, Qin Shao did.

1920, Kong Lingyi, the 76th great-grandson of Confucius, continued with 20 words:

Build a stable road, and oranges will benefit you.

Huan, forever.

Since Emperor Qianlong gave the word, not only Confucius' people got their names from it, but also Meng Fu, Zeng Fu and Yan Fu got their names from it. Since the Spring and Autumn Period, these four descendants have multiplied a lot, all over the country and abroad, and there are also many in Datong. When they met in a foreign land, they knew which generation they were when they mentioned their surnames. When they decided on their names, they drank and entertained, asked about the situation, and helped each other when they were in financial difficulties.

Second, as the name suggests:

When every child is born, parents have an expectation for the child's personality, temperament, behavior and occupation. Some expect fame and fortune, some expect wealth, some expect loyalty and filial piety, some expect benevolence, wisdom, courtesy, faith and so on. These words are used in naming; For girls, they expect her to be gentle and virtuous, as beautiful as flowers and pure as jade. Therefore, when naming, words such as flower, grass, orchid, Jane, English, ling, branch, plum, moth, phoenix, Qin, Qin, summer, chrysanthemum, peach and fairy are often used.

Third, name by location:

Parents' ancestral home, children's birthplace, birth time, parents' wedding place and memorable time and place can all be used as names. For example, the son of a PLA chief was born in the battle to advance into Taihang Mountain. In order to commemorate the years of fighting in Taihang Mountain and express his infinite affection for the people of Taihang Mountain, he gave his children a resounding name-Taihang; A child was born in 1960. It was when the country was in trouble and the family was poor. In order to impress him deeply, his parents named him Lu Ling. There is a child whose father's native place is Shaanxi and his mother's native place is Shanxi, so he named the child Qin Jin. Another parent gave birth to a first girl named Lingling, and wanted to have a boy when she gave birth to a second child. But when she gave birth to a girl, her parents hoped to have another girl in the future, so she named the girl Lexus. In order to cultivate this girl's promise, she will give off a flower-like fragrance in the future, and add a cursive prefix to the forbidden word, which happens to be A Zhi. According to the meaning of this word, it is an open one. This incident sounds funny at first, but it also reflects a way of thinking about names.

Fourth, accidental naming:

Before and after the birth of the child, what good dreams parents had, what happened when they went out, and what was memorable were all named as materials. For example, when a child's mother was in labor, she dreamed of a snake and named her child magnum. A child's father dreamed of a leafy tree, so she named her child Big Tree. Some parents dream of gold and give their children names. No matter how bad things are in the dream, in order to get good luck, think of good luck, turn them into good omen, and comfort yourself with the phrase "nightmare for good dream"

Five, named according to the scenery you enjoy:

Everyone has his own aesthetic point of view and enjoys certain scenery, such as tigers, leopards, cows, dragons, horses and other animals. Plants are pine, cypress, forest, flowers and poplar. Liu et al; Mountains and rivers include mountains, seas, rivers, peaks, rocks and water. Mineral deposits include gold, silver, iron, tin and jade. Colors are red, yellow, blue, white and so on. It even includes natural phenomena such as light, bright, bright, sun and moon. According to these scenes, the effect is also good, especially in recent years, with one more child, there is no need to consider the arrangement of their brothers and sisters. With the change of society, the concept of family is gradually indifferent, not to mention the arrangement of cousins' names. Parents can give their children a satisfactory name at will.

★ Datong Customs★ Fifth-Prosperous Customs

Datong area is rich in coal resources, which is bound to have various connections with the local people's food, clothing, housing and transportation. Therefore, the role of coal has penetrated into the customs as early as ancient times, and it is a local custom to make a fire.

On New Year's Eve, every household should build a tower in front of the courtyard with large pieces of coal, which is called Wanghuo, in order to be auspicious and congratulate the prosperity all year round. Firewood was put in it, and a big red note was written on it, "Anger to heaven". At midnight, when firecrackers are ringing, light a strong fire. After being ignited, the flame spouted from countless small holes, just like a floating picture, which is both warm and spectacular. Adults and children gather in a circle, some play games, some set off firecrackers, and men, women and children will come to keep warm in order to "soar". Children can also walk up and down the street, observing and commenting on the size of the fire. Whoever has a big fire is prosperous, and whoever has a strong spirit. As the Qing Dynasty's "Datong County Records" said: "On the first day of the New Year's Day, every family cuts firewood and bases, which looks like a small floating picture. Delivered in time, that is called Wanghuo, which is the provincial capital Dadahuo. "

Nowadays, the prosperous custom has developed again in Datong. Not only during the Chinese New Year, but also during weddings and funerals on weekdays or major festivals, and some are born in winter to keep warm; Some people are lucky in summer. If Wang Huo is grand in scale and exquisite in shape, then Huairen Wang Huo should be the most important. It has four characteristics: first, excellent coal preparation. Pre-select high-quality raw coal before the Lantern Festival, dig it out mechanically or manually, and then carefully cut it into neat squares; Second, the shape is beautiful. Master Gao Ming must be hired to turn Wanghuo into a vase with a small bottom and a big belly, a top and an empty inside. Only in this way can it burn thoroughly and not collapse. Third, it is increasing year by year. In order to achieve a better metaphor year after year, it is required to make a fire every year higher than the previous year. The specific increase depends on the expectations of the owner. Fourth, the scale is huge. Every year, 50 or 60 huge fires are built in the streets and alleys of Huairen County, the largest of which is made of 80 tons of coal and 30 feet high, which is enormous.

At the beginning of the Lantern Festival, these flourishing fires spit out long tongues and lick the sky of the earth. The red light is dazzling and brilliant, just like a flying dragon swallowing a cloud, inviting it to swim in the splendid world will bring people a sign of "good luck" and "making a fortune". Therefore, hundreds of people will come to watch Wanghuo in Fiona Fang, and some people will turn around the biggest Wanghuo three times and turn it upside down three times, so as to make the whole family safe and auspicious, and all their wishes come true. These prosperous scenes once caused a sensation abroad, and some overseas Chinese from Hong Kong and Macao and international friends also came to feast their eyes on them, which was recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records and added a new color to Datong tourist area.