What preparations did the ancient bride make a few days before her wedding?

Act as a matchmaker/middleman

In China, the matchmaker plays a key role in civil marriage. China customs and habits have repeatedly emphasized the fate of "no clouds and no rain in the sky, no matchmaking on the ground". Both men and women have to go through a matchmaker to get married. Matchmakers can take the initiative to bridge the gap between men and women, or they can be entrusted by others and be loyal to others. After a man and a woman get married successfully, the matchmaker can collect some money, which is called a thank-you gift. The money is usually paid by the man. When the man goes to the woman's house, the woman pays for it and sends it to the matchmaker's house together with the chicken, duck, elbow, shoes and socks the day before the wedding. The matchmaker must instruct to pick up the bride the next day, which is called round media or initiating media or sending media. The amount of money for the thank-you ceremony is determined by the financial situation of the host family, and it must be sealed with red paper. This is called a red envelope or envelope.

exchange kisses

In ancient times, both single men and women had little chance to get close, especially women, who lived in boudoir. After the blind date is over, the man usually proposes to have a look. This first visit to a woman's house under the guidance of a matchmaker is called blind date, commonly known as meeting relatives. The date of blind date is proposed by the man, and the time is decided by the matchmaker and notified to both men and women. Both sides should be prepared. The man should bring some gifts, not too much, just to show his heart. It would be better if he could impress the other parents. As protagonists, both men and women should try their best to dress appropriately and beautifully in order to win each other's favor.

If the woman's parents want to entertain the man, it means that the man has the consent of the woman's family. If the meal is delayed and the man is allowed to leave the house, it means that the marriage is about to fall apart. Generally speaking, China is a delicate country. This kind of thing is certainly not clear. It depends on the man and the matchmaker. Of course, the woman may also "patronize" the man's house, which is called "watching" in some places. If the woman's parents are unwilling to accept hospitality and insist on leaving, it shows that marriage is difficult to succeed. At this point, of course, men can't stay. The woman's parents gladly accept the invitation according to the man's family situation, or drink all the fragrant tea offered, and the outcome is of course happy.

Present a dowry to the bride's family

Both men and women can perform certain marriage procedures after blind date, which is called "ceremony". The matchmaker will send the man's birthday to the woman and the woman's birthday to the man at the wedding. At this time, superstitious parents mostly ask fortune tellers to calculate the combination and disagreement between men and women. Intimacy, marriage continues; If you disagree, stop here. Marriage is out of the question. After exchanging posts and matching the eight characters, the matchmaker will choose a good day to take the man to a "gift" engagement. "Gift-giving" is an important event in the wedding, and the party who takes the initiative in the wedding should give the other party a generous gift. Different local customs have different gifts. Some places require gifts to include at least a pig elbow, two bottles of wine, a chicken and duck, a suit for the other parents, a pair of shoes and socks, and something for girls. How much money to seal in the envelope and what to give the girl for engagement are generally negotiated by the matchmaker in advance, not what the man can give. After the ceremony, both men and women can agree on the date of marriage.

Select a date or time

In China's traditional concept, the choice of wedding date is also very particular. People think that the choice of wedding date is related to the future happiness of both men and women. This activity of choosing an auspicious day is called "choosing a day" or "choosing an auspicious day". The task of choosing the date is generally done by astrologers or fortune tellers, and parents with high education can of course look at the "imperial calendar" or calculate it by themselves. After the wedding date is determined, both parents can send out invitations to invite relatives and friends to the wedding. Marriage certificates are generally handed over to relatives and friends personally by both parties to the marriage or their parents. After relatives and friends receive the wedding documents, even if people can't go, they usually send gifts and write congratulations on them. In rural areas, gifts for women are mostly in kind, such as boxes, cabinets, beds, quilts, clothes and materials. And the giver doesn't have to wait for the invitation to arrive, because the woman's parents have to decide the scale of the wedding banquet wine according to the number of people giving gifts.

Shop room

In ancient times, the day before the wedding ceremony, the woman sent someone to the man's house to build the house with him. This process is called "building houses". Men and women put things differently. Sima Guang's Book of Three Marriages said: "Bed seats, chairs, tables and the like should be available to men, while women should be like felt mattresses and curtains." After the woman's house is paved, she has to press the house and prepare the shed. He also guarded the house with the woman he trusted and the servant who married the woman, and did not let outsiders enter the house to wait for the new couple.

(of a girl on the eve of her wedding) shave off the fine hair on her face and neck and trim the hairline of her temples.

A process that girls have to do one or two days before they get married is also called opening their faces. At that time, a woman with two children was asked to twist each other with two lines and pull out the hair on the face of the woman who was going to get married. In some areas, pulling again after marriage is commonly known as "pulling face". In Zhejiang and Hangzhou, when married women open their faces, they put two pots of evergreen beside them, both of which are wrapped in red paper for good luck.

Wear velvet flowers

When a woman gets married, she wears an extra velvet flower on her head. Edelweiss make a person's image by weaving grass, such as sending a child to Kirin. Because velvet flowers are homophonic with splendor, it means splendor. According to legend, in the Tang Dynasty, Yang Guifei had a small mole on her temple, which was often covered with flowers. Because flowers wither easily, they are replaced by velvet flowers made by the people. Since then, people have followed suit and become a custom.

Wear phoenix clothes and a crested phoenix.

The dress customs of the bride when she gets married. Rockhopper is a kind of clothing embroidered with phoenix dragon patterns and colorful ornaments, symbolizing good luck and wealth. This is unique to ancient aristocrats, and it was later used by ordinary women, regardless of rank, and then spread to weddings, only because of family wealth. In modern times, when men and women get married in cities, it is easy for the bride to wear a veil, and the skirt is more than a foot long. When walking, two children are held behind them, which is the result of the influence of European and American wedding customs.

Eat and drink.

On the wedding day, before the bride gets on the sedan chair, both men and women prepare banquets at home, and the younger generation or peers accompany the bride and groom to eat together. This is called eating together and having dinner together. After a harmonious meal, the bride wears a headscarf and holds hands to bid farewell to her parents and relatives. After that, the screen man and the candle man led her around, and she got out of the house and got into the sedan chair. After the groom has finished eating, he should sit on the bed and don't look out. In some areas, this ceremony is advanced to the night before a woman's wedding, which is also called "No Kissing" and "Farewell".

Barrier surface

The bride should cover it with a red scarf before getting on the sedan chair, and can't take it off in the sedan chair. This is the barrier surface, also known as the hijab. After the man enters the bridal chamber, it can only be opened by the groom or the female relatives of the man's family, so that the congratulations can see the bride's elegant demeanor. This is the so-called hijab.

Bangudu

When a woman wants to get married, she usually invites a respected old woman to spread millet and beans with a dustpan in her hand, and some places scatter grass. Before the bride gets on the sedan chair, it should be broadcast inside and outside. When the sedan chair arrives at the door of the man's house, the bride should also plant seeds before getting off the sedan chair. It's called spreading corn beans. When the bride and groom enter the bridal chamber, the woman and the man sit on the new bed on their left and right, and the man's house will also sprinkle five grains of beans and coins again. This is called spreading the bill. One is that cereal beans can ward off evil spirits, and the other is to use plant seeds as a metaphor to wish the bride an early birth. This folk custom existed in the Han Dynasty. In other places, peanuts and red dates are sprinkled, which means giving birth early, and boys and girls should spend their lives together.

Pick up the bride (in a sedan chair) for the wedding.

When they are about to get married, both men and women will kill pigs and sheep, and prepare to invite cooks, bridesmaids, bearers and other handyman. After applying, these people should start working in the main room the day before the wedding to prepare for the wedding reception. The traditional wedding is usually that the woman's family prepares to get married in the morning and the man's family holds a wedding reception at noon; If it is annoying, it is just the opposite. When everything was ready, Yanari, a man, played music with a cannon and sent a sedan chair to greet the bride. The matchmaker took the lead, followed by the groom, bridesmaid, sedan chair, band and gift box team. The bride's family should prepare the wedding reception before the sedan chair comes. A girl should comb her hair by her mother or sister, screw off the fluff on her face with silk thread, put on makeup, and call it "opening her face", then cover her head with red cloth and wait for the bride's sedan chair.

When the sedan chair arrived at the woman's house, it was greeted by firecrackers and music. After the wedding procession entered the women's hall, the sedan chair landed, and the groom bowed down to his parents-in-law and presented a red wedding invitation with his father's name on it. Then there was an interesting party at the woman's house. When eating, the matchmaker and the groom should be careful, because there is an unwritten custom in China. In the three days after their wedding, peers and teenagers among friends and relatives can skillfully make up a few small comedies to play tricks on the matchmaker or groom, which are called "washing media" and "hanging red", commonly known as "welcoming guests". The matchmaker and groom should be tolerant of these little farce that can increase the happy atmosphere, and might as well take some revenge, but don't really get angry.

After breakfast, the bride and groom will bow to the ancestors and elders of the bride under the guidance of the matchmaker, and then the bridesmaid can help the bride get into the sedan chair. Before getting on the sedan chair, the bride usually marries in tears to show her attachment to her parents and family. After the bride got on the sedan chair, she played music and set off firecrackers, and got off the sedan chair and blew a kiss. The band is in front, and the groom is behind. If possible, he is willing to ride a horse, and then the sedan chair and others will see the bride off.

Marriage takes another road, so sometimes it takes a detour, commonly known as "never coming back." If you encounter temples, wells, shrines, graves, big stones, trees, etc. On the way, you should cover the wedding sedan chair to avoid evil spirits. If there is another wedding, the bearers should try their best to make the sedan chair rise and fall smoothly. In some areas, both the groom and groom need to change their corsage. In the event of a funeral, say, "Today is auspicious, you have met a treasure!" " "When the wedding team is about to arrive at the groom's door, the man's house will greet it with firecrackers and music. The sedan chair stopped in front of the groom's main hall. The bridesmaids invited by the man's family are generally young and beautiful women. They must lift the curtain of the sedan chair and help the bride get off. The bridesmaids came forward to pay their respects. Guests sprinkle flowers on the bride and groom, usually replacing them with red and yellow pieces of paper, which will push the wedding to a climax.