Marriage is the greatest joyful event in life. Both parties involved and their families are very cautious and follow the etiquette, for fear of making any omissions, making mistakes, and causing people to comment. In the old days of Wuyuan, marriages were based on the importance of family matching and light betrothal gifts. From engagement to marriage, the following procedures and etiquette were followed:
The man in his hometown went to the woman through a matchmaker to propose marriage. After the woman initially agreed to the marriage, she had to choose Visiting the man every day to conduct an "inspection", commonly known as "traveling to the home". Whether a marriage can take place depends on the "inspection" situation, so both men and women attach great importance to it. On the day of leaving home, the woman's parents, relatives, and others came to the man's home to learn about the future son-in-law, his family's economy, population, and the character of the man's parents; the man not only had to serve wine and entertain, but also treated everyone Those who come to inspect must also give red envelopes, and cannot be neglected in the slightest.
The decision is made to be engaged. After setting foot in the home, the man and woman need to ask the fortune teller to check whether there are conflicts with their respective birth dates. If there are no obstacles and the woman raises no objections, the man can choose a date to bring gifts such as wine, cigarettes, fish, meat, pastries, eggs, etc. to the woman's house to make a bet, which is commonly known as "making a decision." If the woman accepts the gift, the marriage is settled; if she does not, the marriage is cancelled. After making a decision, the woman needs to invite her relatives and friends to drink the fixed wine, which means telling everyone.
After the marriage is decided, the man chooses an auspicious date for the wedding, writes a wedding note and sends it to the woman for advice; the woman’s parents and relevant relatives and the man who sends the wedding note (usually the man’s relatives) go through* The couple negotiates, agrees, lights red candles, writes the wedding date and gift list on red paper, and delivers it to the groom. Two days before the auspicious day, the man will deliver the gifts to the woman's home according to the gift list, which is called a bucket. After the woman accepts the gifts, she will tie the dowry into poles one by one, light firecrackers and send them out of the house. Each time she carries the dowry, she will set off a firecracker. They were carried back to the man's home. On the afternoon before the auspicious day, the man invites three relatives and friends to the woman's home to marry the bride. Interestingly, after the person getting married arrives at the door of the bride's house, the door of the bride's house is closed. The person welcoming the bride must set off firecrackers and send the red envelope through the crack of the door; the bride usually has the bride's brother receive the red envelope behind the door. If you are not satisfied with the money in the red envelope sent in, you can send the red envelope through the crack in the door. After you see the red envelope outside and send it back, open it and put more money in it, wrap it up and then send it in through the crack in the door. If you are still not satisfied, you can Send it out and repeat this process until you are satisfied, then open the door and let the bride-to-be enter the house. During this period, the firecrackers used to welcome the bride need to go off non-stop. The purpose of this etiquette is to increase the lively atmosphere and fun, not just how much money is added. The bride's family invites relatives and friends to accompany the bride-to-be to a banquet. After the banquet, when it is the auspicious time for the wedding, the bridesmaid will take the bride to her parents and the elders to say goodbye one by one. Each elder must give the bride a "red envelope", and then the bride will be Carrying the bride onto the sedan chair. According to Wuyuan custom, the female bridesmaid is called "Chicken Mother", and the man who carries the bride to the sedan is called "Chicken Man". The person invited to be the "Chicken Man" or "Chicken Woman" must have children, good health, and a good family background. "good luck person".
Crying in a sedan chair is an old custom in Wuyuan. When the newlyweds get on the sedan chair, the mother cries to see them off. The newlyweds cry goodbye to their parents, elders, brothers and sisters while getting on the sedan chair, which is commonly known as crying in the sedan chair. Those who cry in sedan chairs have a reputation for crying. A mother's crying should express her daughter's intelligence and filial piety in daily life, as well as her advice and expectations for her daughter after getting married, etc. through "crying"; a daughter's crying should express the love and concern for her from her parents, brothers, sisters-in-law, and sisters. , friendship, future blessings, etc., "cry" out one by one. The whole word "crying", if you listen carefully, gives people a strong impression of the deep affection between flesh and blood, the indistinguishability of mother and daughter, and the mixture of sadness and joy despite the sadness. However, not every mother or daughter can cry like this. To cry well, to cry sincerely, and to make everyone listen and make passers-by stop, not only must they have a deep emotional foundation in daily life, but also have the ability to cry at that time. A certain culture, but also a certain amount of preparation and conception.
The wedding sedan chair is carried to the groom’s door, and the groom’s chosen “lucky person” must carry the bride out of the sedan chair and into the bridal chamber. That night, a banquet is held at the groom's home, and relatives and friends who have given gifts to congratulate him are invited to accompany the groom to a wedding banquet, which is commonly known as "inviting the groom." After the banquet, a wedding ceremony was held, formerly known as "worship hall". The "lucky man" guides the bride and groom to the hall, where they worship first to the sky, second to the ground, third to the high hall, and fourth to the husband and wife. Then the husband and wife pay homage to the groom's uncle, uncle, aunt, aunt, and brother one by one. Relatives such as brothers, sisters, sisters, and relatives who are being worshiped should give each of the bridegroom and bride a red envelope to express their congratulations. After paying homage, the bride and groom drink Henu wine and send the groom and bride into the bridal chamber.
On the second day of the wedding, the groom will entertain the bride's brothers, which is called "bridal party"; on the third day, someone from the woman's family will come to pick up her daughter and new uncle, which is called "bridal party". Go back to the door". The son-in-law comes to the home of his parents-in-law, first meets with the elders of the woman's family, and then has a banquet accompanied by the woman's relatives and friends. After the meal, the couple returns to the man's home. At this point, the entire wedding event is over.