Marriage customs: After being matched by a matchmaker, the engaged man and woman must "match their zodiac signs" after having some clues. In the old days, it was believed that if the zodiac signs are not compatible, there will be no compatibility. For example, dragons and tigers, snakes and rats will fight, roosters and dogs, sheep and rats will not get along. If a tiger and a sheep match, the sheep will fall into the tiger's mouth, and if the sheep and rats match, the sheep will fall into the tiger's mouth. "The rats will all live together" and so on, so intermarriage is taboo. There are also taboos regarding the age gap between men and women and their zodiac signs. A six-year age difference between a man and a woman is called "Da Liu Chong", and a three-year age difference is called "Xiao Liu Chong". "Small Liu Chong" is acceptable, but "Da Liu Chong" is taboo for marriage. There is a proverb in Shaoxing: "Men born in the year of the Sheep make trouble in the public hall, while women born in the Year of the Sheep guard the empty house." It is believed that men born in the year of the Sheep are better for revolution. Women born under the sign of Sheep have bad luck, so many men do not marry women born under the sign of Goat. Women born under the sign of Goat may marry a man with a "strong" destiny, or may be forced to "fill a house". This custom shows that old-style marriages must not only be well-matched, abide by the orders of parents and the matchmaker, but also must be approved by superstition. In the past, people of the same clan were not allowed to intermarry, and same-sex couples were not allowed to marry. Although the surnames Jin and Liu are different, it is said that the surname Jin comes from the surname Liu, so the Jin and Liu surnames are not allowed to intermarry. The two surnames of Xinchang, Yuan and Lu, were feuding men, and intermarriage was considered to be against the ancestral precepts. If both men and women are of the same zodiac sign and are willing to get married, they must send letters to each other. The auspicious date for the engagement is chosen by the woman, and the wedding date is chosen by the man. After the woman chooses the auspicious date, the man's family sends a "request message" along with a "blessing message" to the girl's family; the girl's family sends a "approval message" along with a "blessing message" "Bring him to the husband's family on the same day. The letter of greeting has the words "Quanfu" or "Zhengsu" and the inscription is "In the year of my marriage, my foolish brother ×× Zhuang Jing bowed his head and sincerely paid his respects." In addition to the words "Quanfu" or "Zhengsu" written in the request letter, there is also a piece of red paper with the four words "Respectfully asking for Taiwan's permission". The permission note is the same as the request note, but the signature is changed to read "respectfully obey the order of the Taiwanese government". When sending a message to a man's family, he must also send "ten fruits" such as lychees, longans, walnuts, red dates, lotus seeds, pine nuts, agate cakes, hazelnuts, tung nuts, green beans, etc. The girl's family accepts most of the gifts as usual. The girl's family chooses a date after sending out the "approval letter", and the boy's family makes a "offer" (i.e. sends a betrothal gift), and the marriage is arranged through ceremony. The men's family's offerings are divided into "first set", "second set" and "third set". The first betrothal gift is the value of the girl's wealth and is meant to pay for the upbringing of the girl's family. Generally, the price is calculated according to the age of the woman: before Daoguang in the Qing Dynasty, "in Yuefeng, a poor girl was given a name, and her husband's family hired her with money, which was calculated as 2,000 yuan per year of the girl's teeth"; after Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty, "women were rare, and the money increased several times"; in the Republic of China, Around 1919, in Shaoxing, "women were required to pay six yuan, or at least four yuan, in foreign money per year of age"; in 1949, "the bride price for an engagement in the countryside was one stone meter or stone and a half meter per year for a woman." Fan Yin's "Yue Proverbs" "Fapan" article says: "When you get married, you must prepare money, silk, satin, wedding flowers, red stickers, hairpin bracelets, sticky fruits, fruits, ring fruits, chickens and geese, fish, and boat pavilions. , fruit pavilion, tea stand, Huadiao wine, and worshiping Cambodia." The girl's family accepted the betrothal gift and gave back dragon cakes, phoenix cakes, materials for robes and coats, the four treasures of the study, tin wine pots and other items. Among the gifts, Huadiao wine is a must for men’s families and tea for women’s families, so there is a saying that “men drink wine and women drink tea”. This etiquette is called "three teas and six etiquettes". When a poor girl from a peasant family in Xinchang, Shengxian and other mountainous areas gets engaged, the man usually prepares a basket of foreign goods, two pots of old wine and a small amount of bride price, and the matchmaker can deliver it to the girl's home. After the groom’s family sends the first bride price, they immediately ask the bride’s family for the date of her birthday, and then send the birthdays of both men and women to the day-selection shop. They ask the astrologer to arrange the “horoscopes” and choose the “bed” and “combination”. "Auspicious day. When the bride is invited, the groom's family prepares two red stickers and a pair of suitcases to send to the bride's family. The red full sticker is also called the worship sticker or the Qiu sticker, but the Qiu sticker has the words "Jingqiu Shuzao" written on it. The suitcase contains "tea ingredients" such as Xianglian and sugar. The girl's family returns the tea supplies as usual and sends the greeting cards and permission stickers to the groom's family. After that, the groom's family sends two sets of betrothal gifts to the bride's family for the purchase of dowry. The etiquette is much the same as when sending a starter. The post sent is red and green, with the words "An Bed" and "He Ni" respectively. The format is usually "I wish you good luck in bed (or He Ni) at × month × day × time". At the same time, the groom's family must give gifts such as pairs of "satin heads" (silk cloth) and "yizhe" (ready-made clothes). A few men's families send the first and second dishes at the same time, which is commonly known as "coming with the dishes". On the eve of the wedding, the groom's family must send three dishes of bride price to the bride's family to buy wedding wine. If the girl's family is still alive and well, the boy's family must send filial piety money and gifts. When Hua Jiao comes to marry, the groom's family must also give "opening money", "senior sedan money", etc. The poverty-stricken family has the following ways to save the bride price: using labor force instead of the bride price. The matchmaker negotiated the deal and set the rules: the man must work for the woman's family for free for a few years. After the period, the man's family does not need to prepare a betrothal gift, but only needs to raise a sum of money needed for the wedding to complete the marriage. Marriage transfer, that is, marriage exchange. Each party betrothed their daughter to the other party as their daughter-in-law, thereby eliminating the need for betrothal gifts and saving wedding expenses. Old relatives get married. In the old days, this custom was very popular, and it was mostly the marriage between cousins, aunts, uncles, and cousins. In addition to strengthening the relationship between relatives, you can also spend less betrothal gifts, but marriage between close relatives often brings disaster to future generations. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the marriage system was reformed. Although many young men and women fall in love freely and get married on their own, most of them still rely on introductions. In the 1980s, the Communist Youth League, trade unions, women's federations, street offices, neighborhood committees and other groups organized marriage agencies to serve as "matchmakers" for young men and women. When love matures, register with the local government and receive a marriage certificate. The old bad marriage habits basically no longer exist, but the trend of holding big banquets during weddings is very popular, and the habit of extravagant spending has not stopped. In the old days of marriage, wooden sticks were used as temporary shelves for the new couple's sleeping bed. Before the wedding, the groom's family must choose an auspicious day to "lay the bed", that is, take wooden sticks and tenon the palm tent on the auspicious day. According to the custom, the bed must not be empty for the newlyweds. From the day the bed is laid to the wedding day, the groom or his groomsmen must sleep in the bed. The groomsman must be a boy or a male from the same family as both husband and wife. Before a woman gets married, the bride's family sends a dowry to the groom's family.
In the dowry, the combing table and other items are called square pieces, and the foot basin and other pieces are called round pieces. They must also include copperware such as fire rings, tinware such as rice pots, porcelain such as colored bottles, jewelry, and suitcases. Except for a small amount of dowry such as jewelry that is sent to the groom's family on the wedding day with the sedan chair, most of the dowry is sent to the groom's family first by the wedding attendant (commonly known as "Xinglang") on the "sleeping bridge" or boat. Most of the groomsmen are relatives, friends and servants of both men and women. The number depends on the amount of dowry, but they must be in pairs. Before marriage, the couple must hold a bathing ceremony. The ceremony was hosted by two couples who are both married and have many children. One person holds a sifter in his hand. Put red hi fruits and duck eggs on top, and connect a large foot basin on the bottom. Another person pours hot water into the foot basin with a self-watering sieve, then soaks the hot water in the basin with a towel, wrings it dry and lets the couple wipe it. Repeat this three times, and the ceremony is completed. . At the same time, the man must shave his head. First, light candles and serve tea and food. When the barber comes in, he must say congratulations, recite auspicious words such as "Seven sons will be reunited" or "Everything goes as they wish", and then pull out 7 or 10 long hairs, tie them into a knot, and prepare to send them to the bride's family. The woman must "open her face" and hire an old man to twist the hair on her face with yarn and cotton thread. When opening the face, 7 or 10 long hairs must also be pulled out and mixed with the fiancé's long hair. It is tied in a bun and is called the "hair line". It is a symbol of a married couple and is the most precious token of women. One day before the wedding, both men and women must offer sacrifices to gods (commonly known as wishing happiness) and ancestors (commonly known as inviting adults to make rice). The etiquette of worshiping gods is similar to blessings, but only the newlyweds and the wedding officiant worship. The ancestor worship rituals are the same as usual. But the last person to kneel down should be the newcomer. When a woman of Shao custom gets married, she must use a colorful carriage. Those who do not sit in a sedan chair are mostly concubines or married women. There are tin ornaments on the top of Huajiao with "Five Mountains facing the sky", with lanterns all over and exquisite inlays in the sky. Most of the sedans are rented from sedan shops, and every wedding day must be rented in advance. Before getting married in a sedan chair, the groom's family must ask the two elders of the couple, who have the same eyebrows and whose children and grandchildren are around their knees, to be the "luck star" and the "luck star". Iron-smearing the sedan chair, commonly known as "Searching the sedan chair", is intended to expel the ghosts and ghosts inside the sedan chair. When the groom's family sends out the sedan, the groom, wearing auspicious clothes, goes to the door and bows to the sedan with three bows to express his respect, which is called "sending off the sedan". The ceremonial procession for welcoming the bride includes gongs, musket players, and trumpeters in front of the sedan, followed by grooms holding various lamps and umbrellas, firewood tied with red ropes (commonly known as firewood), etc., and accompanied by a band. After receiving the firewood, the bride's family would put charcoal tied around her waist with a red rope and return it to the groom's family. This is the so-called "firewood groom and charcoal bride", which means prosperity in both people and wealth. There are bridges in Shaoxing City named after auspicious words such as "Wufu", "Daqing", "Bao#", "Chang'an", "Wan'an" and "Fulu". When the sedan is carried out from the groom's house, it must take a detour and pass through at least two of them. The bridge is used to get to the bride's house for good luck. It is customary for bridal sedans to not meet each other head-on. Therefore, the two men holding shoulder lamps at the front of the wedding procession not only lead the way, but also have the responsibility to try to avoid other bridal sedans on the way. Pause, music must be played when moving forward, gongs must be sounded when turning, and cannons must be fired when crossing the bridge. This is to ward off evil spirits and also to show grandeur. Even the officials must give way to the bride's sedan chair. The custom of "crying in a sedan chair". In addition to saying goodbye, it also means to prevent the bride's children from becoming mute. Before the groom's wedding procession approaches, the bride's family must ask two "downstream" women to put the bride's clothes into boxes, which is called "folding boxes." ". The marrying old man will comb the bride's hair, pierce her ears, etc., all of which must be accompanied by auspicious words. The bride's brothers must prepare the bride's luggage, which is called "making arrangements." The bride's family must also search for the bride before she gets on the sedan. The ceremony for the sedan chair is the same as that for the groom's family, except that the two stars of "Fu" and "Lucky" are changed to women. When the bride gets on the sedan chair, she cannot bring any quick words such as scissors with her, so as not to offend the "Sedan #" and cause unexpected disasters for the bride's family. In front of the sedan, the male groom bangs a big gong from time to time to urge the bride to get on the sedan. Before the bride gets on the sedan, she enters the sedan to have a meal, bows to her ancestors, bids farewell to her parents, relatives and friends, wears "leg silk", and wears red sleeves, Wearing a full red robe, a flower crown, and a blanket, the brothers carry the sedan into the sedan and carry it out of the gate. The sedan must go around three circles (commonly known as Wangniang Bend). At this time, the mother must sit on the toilet in the room. "Weeping Marriage Tune" is an impromptu chant, mostly words of admonishment and blessing. After walking around the bride's corner, the brothers push the carriage bars forward to show off. After the bride puts on her new shoes and ties her "leg silk", they are not allowed to touch her. In the Shengxian area of ??Xinchang, it is customary for the bride's mother to go up the stairs while crying. Two boxes of plain clothes are locked. In the mountainous area of ??Shengxian County, the bride wears plain clothes and gets into the sedan chair. When she arrives at her husband's house, the sedan is carried to the groom's house along the same route. Stacking and "laying out" the wedding bride's gifts: Order the bride's jewelry and other items to the groom's family. There are usually four brothers who present the bride in person, and the groom's family can also make up the number. The groom's family must also play muskets and play music. The wedding ceremony was held amidst the sound of drums. The mother-in-law hired by the husband's family offered three courses of tea to the bride in the sedan chair. ""play music! "Invite the new dignitary to the throne!" ", four grooms holding "trouser leg lanterns" and "offspring lanterns" walked into the inner room to invite the groom. The groom wore an "open air robe", a "buckle belt" around his waist, and pink boots on his feet and entered the hall from the right. Make three big bows facing south and north, and then enter the inner room from the left after saying "please return to Jade", and then go to the hall to get married. ""play music! "Invite the new dignitary to the throne!" "Please invite the new beauty to send Cai Yu!" "(3 times each) The groom and the bride will each be pressed by two "Shunliu" wives to stand in front of the "Fu Lu Shou" star statue in the hall. Amid the sound of firecrackers, the groom and the bride first bow outward to heaven and earth, and then inward." "Three Stars", and finally perform the handover ceremony. The host of the wedding is the celebrant, and the deputy celebrant reads the congratulatory message (flower and candle poem). Common people also have the power to invite chefs to serve as gifts for the deceased.
After that, the bridegroom and the bride stood respectfully facing the "three stars" and performed the "Jinfuzhang" ceremony. At that time, the elders are asked to dress up as the "Antarctic Immortal" and are welcomed into the hall by the groom. They use sugarcane tied with a red rope as a "blessing stick" and tap the bride's head five times, each time accompanied by a phrase such as "— Congratulations such as "Keep your peace and be harmonious" and "Five sons will pass the imperial examination". Afterwards, he was sent out of the hall immediately. When the receptionist calls out, "Invite the new nobles and new beauties to have a happy marriage," and "Sound the gongs and raise the cannons to send them into the bridal chamber," there is a loud sound of drums and firecrackers, and the "bringing of love" is performed. On the way to the new house, the newlyweds must place rice bags and wine cups on them. When the newlyweds walk over them, the newcomers must lift the rice bags and wine cups over the heads of the newlyweds and place them on the ground in front of them to let them walk. This repeats until the bridal chamber. This move is called: passing on the family line from generation to generation ("Zong" and "cup", "generation" and "bag" are all homophonic). Entering the bridal chamber, "fulang" and "uncle" must help the bridegroom and bride to sit on the new bed. It is said that those who occupy more seats will have more power at home in the future. In addition, the groom must try to cover the bride's skirt with his skirt to show that he has greater power than his wife. After sitting down, the two "Shunliu" ladies feed 7 small dumplings to each of the groom and the bride. It is commonly known as "feeding soup to close children and grandchildren" and "seven sons ensure reunion". In Xinchang, Shengxian and Zhuji areas, newlyweds are given sugar, rice and reunion fruits. After that, Mrs. "Shunliu" each gave the groom and the bride a sip of wine, and after the exchange, each took another sip. The two small cups were mixed and then divided into two for the groom and the bride to finish. This is called "heart-to-heart wine" (also known as "heart-to-heart wine"). "Hand over a glass of wine"). After drinking, the groom picks up the bride's hijab and flower crown with a pair of sugar canes of the same length and tied with red ropes, and throws them to the top of the bed. The "marrying old man" quickly lowers the tent door to prevent "hot face" At this time, the wedding fruits are removed, and the congratulators rush to pick them up. On the wedding day, both men and women hold a wedding banquet and entertain the guests. Before the man sends a sedan to get married, he holds a "sedan wine" and a "warming wine". Wedding The day is commonly known as a "good day", and "main wine" must be held at noon. The woman's relatives and friends are invited to the wedding banquet at noon. In the evening, the man's father-in-law and uncle take the first place as usual. Both the groom and the bride must toast to the guests one by one. There is a custom in Xinchang of "full banquet", that is, the groom's family sets up a temporary table in the hall for the bride, and then the bride starts to "take off the feast". "Tong" means taking off one coat and putting on another one. When the ninth dish is served, the bridegroom and the bride, accompanied by the best man and the bride, proceed one by one from the first table in the east to the last table in the west. After the ceremony, you can enter the house. According to custom, weddings in Shaoxing are usually held at night in winter (mostly at Yinmao time), and complicated etiquette is performed in sequence, often until midnight, so there is a saying that "the uncle is afraid of the sun". Said. On that day, none of the girl's brothers stayed at the husband's house. The next morning, the old man came to the door to "give off the son" and put a wooden "little man" in red clothes and green trousers into the bridal chamber, burning incense and candles, playing music and praying. This day's breakfast is the first meal for the newlyweds, which is commonly known as the first meal. The bride must sit at the head of the table, and the groom will sit at the bottom. Visit the ancestral hall and pray for the blessings of the gods and ancestors. After returning home, they go to the hall to pay homage to the ancestors, bow to the elders, and be greeted by the younger generations. On the third day after the wedding, the newlyweds go to the bride's house to "return to the house" to pay homage to the elders, which is commonly known as "Guo". "Three Dynasties". The etiquette is the same as that of the groom's family. The newlyweds must return to their husband's house on the same day and must not stay overnight at their mother's house. At night, the bride must say good night to all the elders and must go to her mother-in-law's room to "sit the night". The mother-in-law opens her mouth and lets her go. The bride can only go back to her room to rest. At the "three dynasties", the bride must meet with her husband's family and the elders of the family, and then she can call her family by name (commonly known as Kaijinkou) and go to the kitchen to attend to the housework. Add firewood first to make a fire, which means fiery red and prosperous; when cutting and sewing, you should make pants and socks first, choosing "trousers" and "rich", and "socks" and "fa" are homophonic for luck. There is a saying that "if you want to be rich, make first" "Trousers; if you want to have hair, make socks first". The concept and customs of marriage in Shaoxing have also changed. During the Republic of China, the enlightened gentry in urban areas advocated simplified etiquette and civilized marriage, but the common people in urban areas and rural areas remained the same. The Chinese People's *** and After the founding of the People's Republic of China, wedding customs tended to be more civilized and simple. Most weddings took place on Labor Day, National Day, New Year's Day or Spring Festival, and there were also group weddings or travel weddings.