Zhangqiu marriage custom

Marriage in the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China was a feudal arranged marriage. Engagement depends on "parents' orders and matchmakers' words". Early marriage is common. Generally, men are thirteen or fourteen, and women are engaged at fifteen or sixteen. Some men are poor and can't afford a wife. After changing his name and surname, he went to the woman's house to be an "elderly husband." Some women are poor, so they sell their underage daughters to their in-laws as "child brides". The betrothal is first introduced by the matchmaker (called "marriage proposal"), and it pays attention to "matching the door". After the parents of both men and women basically agree, please ask the fortune teller to determine the zodiac signs and birth dates of both men and women. If two people disagree, it will be considered as "proper forgiveness". The taboo of the zodiac is that "white horses are afraid of green cows, and chickens and monkeys are not at the end; Snakes and mice fell like knives, and once tigers and sheep rested; Dragons and pigs are hard to match, and they are most afraid of being rabbits and dogs. " After a period of mutual understanding and the consent of both parents, the man went to the woman's house to ask for relatives with a boxer post and a bride price, and exchanged boxer posts (called "eight characters" or "XiaCambodia") as a sign of engagement. At the wedding ceremony, the man will set a good day and inform the woman's family. The bride's family rushed to make a dowry, and relatives and friends gave gifts to congratulate (called "the boss"). As the wedding approaches, the bride should eat less and only eggs to prepare for staying in bed for 3 days after marriage. Three days before the wedding, the bride's family gave a dowry, and the man's house was decorated with lanterns, happy characters, doors and bridal chambers. In case of mourning, blue couplets are posted at the gate and red couplets are posted at the new house. The day before the wedding, the bride should open her face and change her hairstyle from braid to bun. During the wedding ceremony, the groom takes a sedan chair (usually twice, the male takes the official sedan chair and the female takes the official sedan chair), the drummer plays music, and the palace lanterns, gongs and drums and colorful flags clear the way. To the woman's house, people surnamed Ji sent "five-color food". The groom kowtowed to his parents and waited for the bride to get on the sedan chair. The bride wore a wedding dress, covered with red gauze, and hung a bunch of chestnuts and red dates on her arm. Eat jiaozi before getting on the sedan chair (called "sedan chair bag"). Sedan chair went to the man's door, got off the sedan chair and set off firecrackers. There is a pair of red paper-wrapped bricks on the gate, with a pair of red chopsticks on each. Before the bride gets off the sedan chair, she should drink noodles (called "falling to the ground"). A woman with two children put the cake in front of the sedan chair. The bride is supported by a married woman. When she got off the sedan chair, she first stepped on the cake (called "step by step") and then walked slowly to the man's house on the red carpet. Go to the door of a man's house and cross the brazier and saddle. After entering the door, the bride and groom are commanded by the host and worship the heavens and the earth in front of the altar in the courtyard. At the entrance of the bridal chamber, the groom took off the bride's "hood" (red veil) with a rolling pin. After the bride entered the bridal chamber, she changed clothes and sat on the kang. Sisters in the same village send "small meals" to the bridal chamber. Near noon, relatives and neighbors brought red paper bags to congratulate, and the peers led the newcomers to thank them. Banquet at noon and have a wedding reception. In the evening, the newlyweds have a drink and the wedding is over. On that day, men, women and children can make trouble in the bridal chamber, and neighbors, relatives and friends are very lively. The next day, the bride and groom returned home (left their parents' home) and the woman gave a banquet. The complexity and luxury of weddings vary with wealth and social status. After the founding of New China, the Marriage Law was promulgated, abolishing arranged marriages and buying and selling marriages, and implementing marriage autonomy. Free love or love after being introduced. The general procedure is to be introduced first, and then arrange for men and women to meet. If the two sides initially agree, the woman will go to the man's house and interview him. When mutual understanding is reached and both parties are satisfied, the man will give the woman 30 yuan to 50 yuan as a gift. Eat at the man's house at noon and bring back candy and snacks before leaving, which is called "small meeting" After some understanding, that is, regular engagement. On the day of engagement, the woman went to the man's house to recognize her relatives. The man's parents didn't call them uncles and aunts, but called them mom and dad. The man gave a banquet to his relatives and friends, and gave the woman 100 yuan to 200 yuan, a pair of pants, socks, candy and snacks. In the afternoon, men and women took engagement photos. The activity of this day is called "Congress". Every important festival, we should "call our daughter-in-law" to her husband's house for the New Year. Before marriage, both men and women should hold a letter of introduction from their village, get a marriage certificate from the township government, and then set a wedding date. In the 1970s, feudal superstitious customs were abolished at the time of marriage, and etiquette was greatly reduced. However, the specifications of dowry and banquet have been significantly improved. Most weddings use cars or tractors, a few ride bicycles, and some women ask the man for "door money" and "dowry money". After 1978, the number of group marriages, tourism marriages, men settling in women's homes, widows remarriing and elderly remarriage increased. However, when marriage is about ostentation and extravagance, it is a big event, and the woman asks the man for a bride price.