Regarding traditional Chinese wedding customs, there are certain rules for the bride to enter. There are inevitably some wedding taboos that cannot be touched. The older generation says that if these rules are touched, the marriage will be ruined. It seems unlucky.
Rules and taboos for brides entering the house:
According to Han folk custom, there are many gods in the house. There is a door god for the door, a kitchen god for the stove, a bed god for the bed, and a window god for the window. Even on the threshold, there are threshold gods. Because each one has its own use, it seems that each one has its own abilities. They should not be treated lightly and must be respected. Therefore, the bride is particularly taboo about offending various gods when entering the groom's house. Especially the threshold is where you need to be most careful.
The bride must not put her foot on the threshold. It is said that it will offend the threshold god. The threshold is also known as the threshold among the people. It is the boundary between the inside and outside of the house and the outside of the home. Usually when someone enters the house, they are not allowed to step on the threshold because they think it is disrespectful to the owner of the house, not to mention that the bride is carrying evil spirits. , What about filth? It is even more unlucky for the bride to step on the threshold. It will also step on the prestige of the husband's family, and it may even have serious consequences of hindering the death of the parents-in-law. Therefore, Taiwanese wedding customs have the auspicious saying "If you can cross (the threshold), you will live to be a hundred and twelve years old" to remind the bride to cross the threshold and not to step on it or get stumbling by the threshold.
In folk spoken language, threshold also means the ability to find tips or take advantage. As the saying goes, "You don't understand the threshold", "They are good at threshold and will not be fooled", etc. This is what they mean. From this point of view, the man does not want the bride to step on the threshold or stand on the threshold. In that case, wouldn't it mean that the newly married daughter-in-law would have the upper hand and get an advantage? Who can guarantee that she has lowered the door threshold, not the people in the door? Therefore, the groom's family is most taboo for the bride to step into the door.
Rules and taboos for brides entering the house:
Folks in Henan use a saddle as a door for weddings, so that the bride can ride on it, which is called "riding a saddle". According to records in "Tokyo Menghua Lu" and "Mengliang Lu", in the Song Dynasty, there was a custom of letting brides cross saddles and scales to pass through the door, taking the meaning of "peace and safety". However, some women have a strong temperament and often deliberately step on the threshold to resist the idea of ????patriarchal power.
It has even become a custom for native families in western Hubei to step on the door threshold. When the bride steps into the door of the groom's house, she will deliberately step on the door threshold and the door rail with her feet. This situation also expresses women's strong desire for their own liberation.
The Dong people used to hold weddings at midnight. When the bride is walking to the groom's house accompanied by the bridesmaids, the groom's family members must hide and are not allowed to peep at the bride entering the door. Otherwise, it will lead to family disharmony in the future. After the bride enters the house, she is not allowed to move around. An old woman with many descendants will hand the bride a small bucket, which symbolizes hard work and housekeeping. The bride carries the bucket into the main hall, places the bucket on the left side of the ancestral seat on the altar, then goes to the top beam in the room and sits down with her back against the pillar, which is commonly known as "sitting on the middle pillar." After the bridesmaids enter, the bride can leave the center pillar and move around freely without formality.
Relatives and friends of the Uzbek bride will "move the bride" and pick her up after the wedding. The groom is only allowed to "redeemed" her if he gives her a gift. Any bride who has been "moved" away is not allowed to enter the house directly after being "redempted". You have to walk around the fire set up in the courtyard before entering the house.
Taboos for the bride getting out of the sedan chair:
Before the bride enters the house and is about to enter the house, there are still many bad habits among the people that "shame the power". In Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas, when waiting for the sedan chair to arrive at the door of the groom's house, one must deliberately stay for a while to extinguish the bride's fire nature so that she will not dare to do something wrong or disobey discipline in the future.
In some places, the sedan chair must be allowed to pass under the crotch of the mother-in-law's pre-suspended trousers, which also contains the implication that the daughter-in-law is under the mother-in-law and must not disobey her orders. According to the custom in Panyu County, Guangdong, when the bride gets off the sedan, the groom should beat her head with a folding fan to drive her into the new house. According to Tibetan wedding customs, the bride rides to the groom's house on horseback. When the guests of the groom's family greet her, everyone suddenly roars and throws grains at the bride, which frightens the bride and is called "scaring the devil". For Manchus, Yugurs, etc., the sedan needs to pass between two blazing fires in front of the groom's house and land flatly in the courtyard. At this time, the groom needs to shoot three arrows without arrows at the sedan door. It means "prosperity" and "driving away evil spirits". It is a custom in Taiwan that before the bride gets off the sedan, the groom has to step forward and kick the sedan door violently, which is also meant to give the bride a show of strength so that she will be docile and obedient in the future. Otherwise, it will lead to family disharmony in the future.
However, the groom’s parents must avoid it at this time, otherwise, the groom’s kick may miss the bride and hit his own parents instead. Because the parents-in-law and the daughter-in-law are in a relative state. Folks have the corresponding concepts of misfortune leading to misfortune, bad luck leading to misfortune, not looking inside then outside, not looking east then west, so if you don't kick the bride, you will hit the parents-in-law. However, according to this theory, the bride and groom should also correspond. The groom and the bride should be in a corresponding state of yang and yin. Whoever has stronger aura between the two can conquer the other. The parents-in-law are only sympathizers on the groom's side, at best a secondary supporting force. Therefore, if the groom fails to kick the bride (actually it does not actually hit the bride, but symbolically), he should be blocked by the bride and hit himself instead. However, as the groom’s parents are related by blood to the groom, if they are around at this time, they may be hurt to a certain extent, or at least make them feel some kind of humiliation and disgrace, so it is best for them to stay away from him. Good, so as not to make the elders angry and upset over the matters between the younger generations.
In short, no matter how you explain it, it is an objective and practical rule among the people that the parents-in-law cannot be present to watch when the bride gets off the sedan chair. This is similar to the ancient custom that the bride does not see her uncle (parents of the groom) on the wedding day. The Bai people still have the custom that the bride's horoscope is opposite to that of the weng aunt, so the weng aunt should avoid the bride when she enters the house.
Taboos for the bride getting off the sedan:
Just like when getting on the sedan, the bride is also taboo on stepping on the ground when getting off the sedan. In the old days, many ethnic groups such as the Han, Hui, Manchu, and Zhuang had this custom. "Tokyo Meng Hualing Marrying a Wife" says: "The newlyweds get off the eaves and step on green cloth strips or felt mats, and are not allowed to step on the ground." Folks usually lay out a red carpet, wooden boards, mats, etc. when the bride gets off the sedan, allowing the bride to walk from the top Walk through until you enter the house (bridal chamber) and sit on the bed (kang). In Shandong, the bride is carried into the house by the groom on a poplar chair as soon as she gets out of the sedan door; in Jiangsu, some people spread red felt or linen bags; in Hefei, Anhui, rice bags are used to spread the floor, allowing the bride to step on the rice bags to enter the house. There are many places where not only the bride cannot step on the ground, but also cannot see the sky. Therefore, rice sieves or umbrellas are used to cover the bride's head. In Taikang, Henan, it is taboo for brides to open their eyes when getting off the sedan chair. Almost all brides wearing hijab are supported into the groom's house. It is said that the bride is not allowed to "see the sky" or "step on the ground" because she is afraid that the bride's evil spirit will offend the ghosts and gods of heaven and earth. It also means to prevent the ghosts and gods of heaven and earth from harming the bride. Not letting the bride step on the ground at this time is not because the mother's family is afraid that the bride will take away their blessings, but it means that the husband's family is marrying a chaste and virtuous wife. There is also a saying that "not stepping on the ground" means "not being able to reach the ground". This means that when the bride comes to the husband’s house, she must not have any authority and must obey discipline. In fact, no matter what explanation is given, the rules such as not letting the bride "see the sky" or "stepping on the ground", not letting the bride open her eyes, and having someone to support the bride, etc., will collectively create an atmosphere of "treat with caution". People focus on strictly observing these taboo etiquette, which will naturally make the period when the bride gets off the sedan chair and enter the groom's house a process that everyone treats with caution. In this way, the bride will not rush into the door in a panic and stumble in front of everyone, but can only enter the house slowly and carefully. Only in this way will it appear orderly and orderly, and therefore it will be auspicious and a symbol of happiness.
Taboos for the bride getting off the sedan:
The young woman supporting the bride should not interfere with the bride’s zodiac sign. In the past, it was customary for the bride to bring her bridesmaids to weddings. A woman who serves as a bridesmaid is not allowed to hold the position again until she has been a bridesmaid for more than 100 days. The reason is also to verify whether the bridesmaid is chaste.
The Zhuang people in Liujiang, Guangxi have the custom of scattering grains at their weddings. This is similar to the "throwing beans" in Kaifeng, Henan (see "Tokyo Menghua Lu"), and the meaning of throwing bran on the bride's head in Nanyang, both of which wish the bride a happy married life. It is said that only if the grains are sown, the harvest will be abundant and good luck will come after marriage. The Zhuang people scatter grains to the bride when the bride gets off the ox cart (bridal carriage or sedan chair) and walks towards the gate of the groom's house. This is a very prudent matter. Choose a woman whose parents are still alive and have two children. When scattering, you should also pay attention to the number of times you scatter the grains. Do not scatter the grains in single or double grains. The bag containing the grains cannot slip from your hands. Therefore, you need to choose very shrewd people to scatter grains.
The Pumi people of Yunnan are not allowed to enter the groom’s house on the same day as the bride is getting married. When the bride comes to the groom's house, she has to stay overnight in a secluded place near the village. (If the bride and groom are from the same village, or are very close to each other, and they can take the bride to the groom's house when the sun just rises in the morning, it is not necessary. Staying in the wild), the man will set up a wooden shed in advance at the accommodation place, and prepare all the food and utensils needed for accommodation and food during the stay. On the night of the stay, people from the groom's family and the village can go there to play and keep company. Before going to sleep, the person in charge burns a jar of incense and reads a few words of congratulations. Generally, no ceremony is held. This taboo custom may be the result of clan endogamy. Staying in the village for one night means that the bride and groom belong to the same clan and are therefore eligible for marriage.