Shanwei City, located on the southeastern coast of Guangdong Province, is the intersection of Minnan culture, Cantonese culture, and Hakka culture. The culture is diverse and compatible, and it is known as the "Hometown of Chinese Folk Culture and Art" " known as. The wedding customs in Shanwei are also the result of the intersection and fusion of multiple cultures. So what are the wedding customs in Shanwei?
First of all, the man must ask someone to propose marriage to the woman’s family. The matchmaker must not go to the woman's house empty-handed, so the custom in Shanwei is that the matchmaker brings cigarettes, sugar, tea, and green fruits, which is also called the "four-style ceremony." Why is it called "Four Styles of Rituals"? Generally in our concept, "four" is unlucky. However, people in Shanwei believe that "four" has the same pronunciation as "世", and giving four kinds of gifts means harmony from generation to generation. Thirdly, "smoke" is the same as "marriage", implying the man's sincerity in his proposal. "Tea" is originally abundant in the south and is also an indispensable gift. "Sugar" means sweetness, harmony and beauty. Green fruits generally refer to "oranges" and "oranges", which have auspicious meanings. But apples are generally not given because "apple" has the same pronunciation as "poverty".
?If the woman accepts the four-step gift from the man, it is equivalent to agreeing to the man’s proposal of marriage. Then the man will ask a matchmaker to go to the woman's home to ask for the woman's birthday and horoscope. After the man determines the auspicious date for the wedding, he can inform the woman. At the same time, you can also prepare the betrothal gift list, which can also be called "opening the betrothal gift"-that is, using twelve pages of red folding stickers to list the groom's betrothal gift. The dots of the bride price must be "four", which means "passed from generation to generation". Nowadays, people prefer to use "eight" to express the meaning of getting rich. ?Of course the woman has to reciprocate the gift, usually with cannas, red eggs, red silk ropes, etc. Cannas are a pair, symbolizing the harmony and beauty of a new couple. The red egg has the meaning of "leading chicken", which means good luck and good luck. ?There are some things that you need to pay attention to when getting married in Shanwei. On the wedding day, you must have "sweet food" as cakes to share with the guests. This cake is a specialty of Shantou and is composed of some assorted candies. Just like in some places, wedding candy is given out when you get married. When preparing assorted candies, the portion should be sufficient, otherwise the man will appear stingy and unimpressive.