About engagement ..

In feudal society, the marriage of Youxi people was arranged by their parents, and they got married after discussing their engagement. Generally, marriage proposals are sent to men and women through matchmakers. After receiving the woman's post, the man asked the "fortune teller" to get married, and then asked the woman to make a list of dowry proposals. Engagement, commonly known as "tie". The man's family will give the woman four colors of fruit (5 kg each color), a rooster, noodles, a set of clothes, shoes and socks for her, and wedding tokens (such as rings and necklaces), and the woman's family will also give them back as tokens. Married, male 17 years old, female 15 years old or above. Before getting married, the man pre-selects an auspicious day, writes a red sticker to solicit the opinions of the woman, and then sets the auspicious day for marriage. On the day before the wedding, the man must send enough money and gifts according to the agreed list. On the auspicious day of the zodiac, he will send a sedan chair to greet the bride and exchange three generations of gift books and stickers. Most brides' dowries are just boxes and cages. Such as beds, cabinets, tables and stools, tin candlesticks, teapots, hip flask, etc. All of them are added. When recording, you need to ask the man for four-color fruit 10 kg each, and the custom calls for double gift. The woman asks for a double gift, usually from a well-off family. There should be 1 new toilet (called tong tong) in the dowry, which contains red eggs, oranges, a small red envelope, 1 a pair of palace lanterns (meaning tianding), 1 a pair of fire cages (meaning affectionate) and a red hand stick (woven), which is called "shoe book". When the bride arrives at the man's house, the sedan chair is carried directly to the living room. After the sedan chair stops, the man chooses a pair of men on the left and right sides of the sedan door and invites the bride to get off the sedan chair. Then, the man's respected and full-fledged elders will open the curtain door and lead the bride down the sedan chair. After the ceremony, they will enter the bridal chamber and have a drink in the evening. When the bride takes off her makeup, the groom first picks up the opening cloth with a scale, takes off a red flower in the middle of the bride's head, and then the groom's mother, aunt and sister-in-law pick flowers respectively.

Before the Republic of China, Youxi did not marry his surname. The surnames of the She nationality in the county, such as Lan, Lei and Zhong, have been married to the Han nationality in history, but they have not been married to the Han nationality. During the Republic of China, the law only prohibited consanguineous marriage, and only a few men and women with the same surname married. During this period, the opportunities for young men and women to get in touch with each other gradually increased, and a voluntary marriage in which both sides exchanged love began. However, marriage negotiation and engagement are still restricted by both parents. She and Han also began to intermarry. During this period, a few people used the public auditorium to hold a wedding ceremony, and the marriage certificate was signed and sealed by the host, groom, bride, introducer and witness.

After the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC), the State Council promulgated the Marriage Law of the People's Republic of China, which affirmed the freedom of marriage and prohibited any arrangement, sale or interference. The age of marriage is male 20, female 18, and engagement is not required. Since then, most marriages have been made by introducing the stages of mutual understanding, conversation and love between men and women, and then visiting families. With the consent of both parents, they registered with the government to get a marriage certificate, and the two sides held a wedding on the same day. After the 1960s, bridal sedan chairs gradually disappeared, and women were taken to men's homes by bicycles, motor vehicles or on foot. The ceremony of worshipping the church faded away. However, the custom of "tying records" still continues to this day. Before the wedding, the man's family should send a certain amount of gifts and cash gifts to the woman's family, and the woman's family should buy clothes and utensils to accompany her. Among them, the necessary items are: toilet (spittoon or a plastic bucket with a red cover now), a pair of palace lanterns and a pair of fire cages (some use thermos bottles), which are still popular today, and some farmers also regard it as a necessary condition. Now many families have denied the old law and practiced marital autonomy. Young men and women can fall in love freely. With the consent of their parents, they decided to register for marriage and get married one day. Dowry is mostly gold and silver jewelry and household appliances. According to the actual economic ability, hold a simple, grand, lively and memorable wedding. Many people choose the wedding date as International Labor Day, National Day or New Year's Day. Some young people choose to travel and marry.