I want to know the engagement custom in Tongcheng.

In the old days, the wedding ceremony was complicated, and there were generally main procedures such as engagement, marriage and returning to the door. First of all, please ask the matchmaker to propose marriage to the woman's house, and the woman agrees to propose marriage, and then the man proposes marriage, and presents birthdates to the man. The woman's family invites people to divine the horoscope of both men and women, and if they meet it, they will get married. They will also go to the man's house on an auspicious day to see their looks, family background and talents. If they are satisfied, they will stay to eat "success wine" and get married. Before the wedding, the man chooses a date to inform the woman, and the woman agrees to be lucky. If you think this day is not good, tell the man to choose another good day. On the wedding day, both men and women will hold a banquet to entertain each other. It is a custom for the man to send a sedan chair to the woman's house and write a sedan chair couplet. The sedan chair is empty. You have to take two boys. This is called a "warm sedan chair". When I got off the sedan chair, my family burst into tears. When seeing the bride off, the bride price is in front (the bride price varies according to the wealth of the woman's family), the sedan chair is in the middle, and the matchmaker will accompany her. When the sedan chair entered the village, firecrackers exploded, and famous local gentlemen or teachers performed a ceremony of "betraying God". After the ceremony, the bride and groom hold hands to pay homage, one for heaven and earth, the other for ancestors and the third for parents, and then the bride and groom worship each other. The groom leads the bride into the new house, and in the evening, the male family entertains the guests. After the banquet, men, women and children "make a new house". Relatives and friends left, and two elders accompanied the groom into the room, lit candles, praised him a few words and left the bridal chamber. The next morning, the groom must meet his father-in-law and uncle's father-in-law at Yue's home. On the third day after marriage, the couple went back to their parents' home, usually the same day. At this point, the ancient wedding etiquette is over.

After the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC), the old marriage customs were gradually abolished by implementing the marriage law and advocating marriage autonomy. Young people in towns can fall in love freely and get married in fashion. After 1980s, late marriage and good birth were advocated, and premarital physical examination was carried out. Dowry includes household appliances, sofas, etc. It is fashionable to take wedding photos and rent a car to greet the bride. Relatives and friends often sing songs on TV to bless the newlyweds. Marriage in rural areas generally follows the procedures of blind date, engagement and marriage, with simplified ceremony, freedom of love and more newlyweds. Newlyweds attend group weddings in both urban and rural areas. Many young people set their wedding dates on historical commemorative festivals, such as May 1st, May 4th and October 1st. The phenomenon of remarriage of widowed women in urban and rural areas is common, and it is not uncommon for elderly widowed women to remarry.