Old customs and etiquette of rural weddings

In ancient my country, there was a theory of "six rites", and this custom is also found in some areas today. The six rites are to accept gifts, ask for names, accept auspiciousness, accept levies, ask for an appointment, and personally welcome. In fact, the folk wedding customs in various regions are not completely limited by these six rituals. It simplifies the process of blind date and engagement. For example, the request period (agreement on the wedding date) is combined with Naji (gift giving and engagement). . More attention is paid to the ceremonial processes such as the wedding ceremony (where the bride and groom drink a glass of wine), the bridal chamber ceremony, and the "return to the door" after the wedding.

Step 1: Matchmaking

Generally, the matchmaker will talk to the matchmaker about which girl he is interested in. The two parties have not met yet, and then the matchmaker will learn about the other party’s situation. If there is any Will, and then decide the next step, which is the so-called blind date.

The second step: see the blind date, which is somewhat similar to the current blind date.

It means that the matchmaker and both parties agree on a time, and the man brings gifts to the woman's home to meet each other. The date of the blind date is predetermined by the matchmaker and notified to both men and women. Therefore, both parties must be prepared. The man should prepare some gifts according to the hobbies of the woman's parents; the woman should clean the courtyard and prepare to receive guests. As parties involved, both men and women should dress up as elegantly and glamorously as possible in order to give each other a good "first impression." It is also a time for both parents to get to know each other's family situation. In rural areas, the parents' orders are still very important. This is also a critical step, because they cannot meet in private and have to communicate through a matchmaker.

The third step: Giving a gift

The first step of "giving a gift" is for the matchmaker to send the man's birth date to the woman, and the woman's birth date to the man. This is somewhat superstitious. Parents, who consider themselves responsible for their children's marriage, often ask a fortune teller to calculate after receiving the red invitation to see if the "birthdays and horoscopes" of both parties are consistent. If not, the marriage must be reconsidered. Fortunately, most modern people no longer believe in this, so even if they exchange red posts, it is often just a formality, and some even do not even need to exchange red posts. Giving gifts is also a key step. If the parents agree to the marriage and the two parties have agreed on the gift money and the bride price, the man will send the gift money at this time, and the marriage will be set. It is similar to the current engagement. After that, you can choose an auspicious date to get married.

Step 4: Wedding

Wedding customs vary from place to place. Generally, the man leads a wedding team to the woman’s house to marry the bride on the same day. The bride also has a lot of details when going out. The etiquette for returning home is also quite complicated, but fortunately it has been simplified now.

Nowadays, free love does not require a matchmaker or door-to-door marriage proposal. At most, the two parties discuss the amount of the gift and then decide on the wedding date. After the negotiation, they simply hold a banquet. In some places, It is also done in a hotel for a meal, and the traditional rural wedding banquet is also very particular. It usually lasts three days, three days for the woman, and three days for the man after the marriage. There is also a send-off team and a welcoming team. At that time, other people are getting married. It was very lively, and many relatives and friends came from all over the country to celebrate at home. But now most of them go home after dinner, and there is rarely the lively atmosphere at that time. In traditional weddings, the woman also comes with a dowry. In the past, the woman often brought things like a TV and a wardrobe, but now it is rare and most of the things are done by the man.