Wild geese.
"Etiquette: Scholars' Evening Ceremony" says: "When the evening ceremony is issued, geese are used for acceptance."
Among the six ancient marriage rites, except for the acceptance of levies without using geese, the rest Dayan is used in the five rituals of nacai, asking for names, naji, asking for dates, and personal greetings.
The marriage etiquette pioneered by the Zhou Dynasty is called the foundation of etiquette.
"The Book of Rites·Hunyi" says: "The basis of etiquette is the obscurity of etiquette." The "six rites" of marriage are: accepting gifts, asking for names, accepting auspiciousness, accepting invitations, asking for dates, and marrying Welcome six stages. 1. Nacai:
Nacai, the first of the six rites, is the gift of accepting her choice to the girl’s family, which means that the man’s family invites a matchmaker to the woman’s family to propose marriage.
After receiving the consent, the "gift of choice" was formally presented to the bride's family. In ancient times, live geese were usually used as gifts for marriage proposals.
"Etiquette · Scholars' Evening Ceremony" says: "When the evening ceremony is issued, the adoption of acceptance is adopted."
Jia Gongyan Shu: "The person who accepts acceptance shall be selected based on his initial appearance. , I was afraid that my daughter’s family would not allow it, so I accepted it.”
There are different interpretations of the meaning of using wild goose as a gift: one is to follow the yin and yang:
This is an earlier saying, because The wild goose is a migratory bird. "The trees fall in the south and the ice flies in the north." The word "na" adopts "goose", which means that it is in accordance with the orderly flow of yin and yang. Two means no more couples:
According to legend, geese only mate once in their lives. If they lose their mates, they will no longer be paired for life. Chinese folk use geese to mean this to express their undying loyalty to the marriage. thoughts and wishes. The third is Sheng Sheng:
This is the inference of those who study the changes in etiquette and customs.
"Book of Rites·Quli" says: "Every sincerity is worthy of the emperor. The noble princes, the ministers, the magistrates, the scholars, the common people are the most beloved."
It can be seen that At that time, the emperor used fragrant wine, the princes used jade, the ministers used lambs, the officials used geese, the scholars used pheasants, and the common people only used cloth.
Because of the importance attached to weddings, ordinary scholars and people also used it under the guise of the official ceremony, so it became the Tongzhiyan ceremony.
From the perspective of using birds as bait, this ritual must be a relic of the hunting era. Nowadays, it is rare to see people using wild geese as a gift. Usually chicken, duck or goose is used instead.
Whether it is geese, chickens, ducks or geese, they must be alive as a gift, and dead animals are taboo. 2. Asking for the name:
Asking for the name, the second of the six rites, refers to asking the woman’s name and date of birth. It is also required in preparation for the marriage ceremony.
"Book of Rites·Fang's Notes" also says: "Those who ask for a name should ask a girl's mother's surname."
When asking for a name, a goose is given as a gift to Zhi Jian. 3. Naji:
Naji means engagement, the third of the six rites. After asking for the name, the ceremony of notifying the woman of the good omen suitable for marriage through divination and marriage is also called "contracting", which is an important etiquette in the wedding.
In ancient times, Najib also had to perform the goose laying ceremony.
"Etiquette Shihun Li" records: "Naji uses geese, just like Nacai Li." 4. Nazheng (Nazheng):
Nazheng, also known as Nazheng "Na coins", the fourth of the six rites, is the betrothal gift given by the man to the woman. It is an important ceremony in the marriage stage.
Zheng means success; coins refer to the property. The wedding ceremony is also called "finished engagement" and "excessive gift". This ceremony is the only one among the "Six Rites" that does not use geese.
Volume 4 of "Bai Hu Tong" "Marriage" says: "To accept, ask for names, accept auspiciousness, ask for an appointment, and personally welcome, use Yan Zhi. Na Zheng is called Xuan Qi, so Yan Zhi is not used. "5. Requesting period:
The requesting period is commonly known as "raising the date" and "sending the sun". The fifth of the six rites refers to the etiquette procedure of selecting and announcing an auspicious day for the wedding. It must be sent wild goose.
"Etiquette·Shihunli": "To ask for a date, use geese."
Zheng Xuan's note: "The husband's family must divine it first. If the day is auspicious, he will send the envoy to say goodbye." ”
That is, the groom’s family decides on the wedding date, writes the male and female birth certificate (a letter of invitation) on red paper, and the matchmaker takes it to the bride’s family to discuss the marriage with the host of the bride’s family. date. 6. Personal greeting:
Personal greeting, commonly known as "bridal greeting", is the sixth ceremony among the six rites. It is a ceremony in which the groom goes to the bride's house to marry the bride in person.
Goose is also used for formal weddings.
Usually, after the groom's family notifies the bride's family of the wedding date, on the wedding day, the groom goes to the bride's family to greet the bride in person. Sometimes the groom's family sends a wedding team to marry the bride, and the groom waits at home.
It has a very ancient origin. Tang Duyou's "Tongdian: The Eighteenth Emperor Accepts His Concubine" records: "In the summer, relatives are welcomed in the court, and Yin is in the hall. When the Zhou Dynasty restricted the age of men and women to determine marriage, relatives were welcomed at home. .
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