What are the wedding customs in Ningde?

Marriage customs vary from place to place. The customs of each place will depend on the local characteristics and the rules left by the older generation. In Ningde culture, if you want to get married, some customs are quite particular. So what's the custom? What's the point? Let's have a look!

The traditional marriage between men and women in China usually consists of several links, such as "discussing marriage", "getting married", "getting married", "going to the kitchen" and "going back to the door", and there are traces left by the six rites of ancient marriage in China. "Getting married without saying hello" is a major feature of the wedding custom in eastern Fujian.

When men and women reach marriageable age, the parents of the man entrust the matchmaker to propose to the woman after their parents find out or young men and women fall in love freely. If the woman's parents agree, after the "marriage" thinks that the man and the woman have no "rush" and "gram", the man and the woman's parents will negotiate on the bride price, dowry and wedding date. After reaching an agreement, the man's family chose auspicious day to give gifts to the woman's family for marriage.

After "Xiaoding", the man's family will choose an auspicious day again and send dry Kun stickers, betrothal money, bride price and cloth to the woman's family; The bride's family sends back cakes, fruits and cloth for the groom, commonly known as "Dading". After delivering the bride price, the man writes the selected wedding date on red paper to inform the woman, commonly known as "delivery date". On the wedding night, the bride and groom worship their ancestors separately. The bride should also say goodbye to her relatives and elders.

On the wedding day, the woman's family held a luncheon and invited relatives and friends, commonly known as "going out for a drink". The man's family holds a banquet and invites relatives and friends, commonly known as "bride wine". After the luncheon, the team that picks up the bride goes to the woman's house (the groom doesn't have to go for nothing). When the sedan chair arrived at the woman's house, the bride was wearing a dress. Before getting on the sedan chair, she must get married in tears to avoid violence, and hold a ceremony of "leaving the contract" with her brother. Finally, Quanfu's elders helped her get into the sedan chair.

Moreover, the bride is accompanied by her younger brother and aunt, commonly known as "seeing the daughter-in-law" (the custom of paying farewell to the city is that there are many young aunts, ranging from four to 12). The sedan chair arrived at the man's house in the dark, and then the elder Quan Fu of the man's house came out, removed the "spell in front of the sedan chair" on the door, lit it and opened the door. "Zhong Zhenggu" (the little girl of Quanfu) asked the bride to get off the sedan chair, and then "the mother of the bridesmaid" (an old woman who knew the local marriage etiquette) helped her to the hall to wait for the wedding ceremony.

When the sedan chair arrives at the man's door, the groom, his parents, brothers and sister-in-law will go upstairs to avoid it as a sign of respect and hold the bride in the future. After the "children's official" went upstairs three times with the "storm lamp" (as a boy of the whole government), the groom went downstairs with a robe and a hat to pay homage to the bride, and the ceremony of three visits and nine knocks was completed.

The bride was slowly introduced into the new house by the elders of Quanfu, holding candles and holding "bucket lights" (rice, red eggs, mirrors, scissors, rulers, chopsticks, scales, a round bucket made of red paint and covered with red paper-commonly known as "bucket lights"). After entering the new house, the bride sits on the edge of the bed and is watched by people, commonly known as "seeing the bride". After visiting the church, we once again held a banquet in the class to invite relatives and friends, commonly known as "please accept wine." Generally, the "bride wine" for lunch serves female guests, and the "bride wine" for dinner serves male guests.

After the "wedding banquet", prepare another exquisite and rich banquet, commonly known as "gift wine". Most of the attendees were Quanfu youths pre-selected by their parents. Drinking "ritual wine" and "making trouble in the bridal chamber" are often carried out intermittently, generally making trouble in the bridal chamber for more than three times until dawn (some are delivered at night).

On the second day after the wedding, the bride will enter the kitchen for a "cooking ceremony" under the leadership of the "bridesmaid's mother". On that day, the bride will visit relatives and elders and hold a "welcome ceremony". That night, the "bridesmaid's mother" prepared sugar tea and snacks and sent them to the new house for the bride and groom to eat together, commonly known as "delivering the house".

On the third day of the wedding, the groom must accompany the bride to her father-in-law's house, that is, the bride "returns to the door" and the groom is a son-in-law. The woman's family will hold a banquet for her son-in-law, and return to the man's family on the same day, so that the whole wedding etiquette will come to an end.