What were the steps for getting married in ancient times? Thank you!

“The couple with noble etiquette can easily describe the world, match the Yang to become transformed, and be more respected than the moon. What a sacred ceremony, it is considered the first blessing in life and must be very solemn and etiquette. In ancient China, the wedding process was divided into six stages, which were called "six rites" in ancient times, namely, accepting gifts, asking for names, accepting gifts, accepting invitations, asking for dates, and welcoming in person.

Wedding

A kind of ancient ceremony. Wedding ceremony. It is the ceremonial form in which a man and a woman formally become husband and wife. For the Chinese people in the Central Plains of China, marriage etiquette appeared in the late primitive society, the end of couple marriage and the early stage of monogamy (one man, one wife). At that time, it had gradually transitioned from matriarchy to patriarchy. Property was mainly controlled by men. Men married women. The wife lived with her husband, and the children took the father's surname. The wife and children were members of the husband's family. The implementation of wedding procedures and etiquette shows that the purpose of patriarchy is to produce one's own legitimate children to inherit one's property and pass it on from generation to generation. According to historical records, "Lipi" was used as a gift for marriage proposals in Xia and Shang Dynasties. Lipi is animal skin, which means that the value of a woman is equal to the Lipi owned by a man. This is the beginning of betrothal gifts in later generations. In addition, they must "tell their parents" to obtain consent, and welcome them at home. By the Zhou Dynasty, weddings were becoming more and more perfect, from simple to complex, and gradually formed the system of "six rites", which was practiced by everyone from the emperor to the common people except slaves. Later generations had different versions of the traditional and simplified versions, often with explicit provisions. Generally speaking, the weddings of the ruling class are complicated and extravagant, while those of the common people are simpler; the weddings of the rich are complicated, while those of the poor are simple; the weddings of the central plains are more complicated, and those of remote areas are simpler. In addition to the "six rites", the wedding also includes the main wedding ceremony (the worship hall, the bathroom, the opposite banquet, the marriage of the same prison, and the rest of the wedding ceremony), the post-wedding ceremony (the wife meets her aunt, the wife gives gifts to the aunt, the uncle feeds the wife, Temple meeting) etc. In ethnic minority areas, the levels of civilization vary at different stages of social development, and each has its own etiquette and customs. "Tongdian. Jiali III. After the Emperor Accepts a Concubine": "The Fuxi family established a marriage ceremony, using the skin as a gift. When the Five Emperors were in charge, parents must be notified when marrying a wife. In the summer, relatives are welcomed in the court, and Yin is in the hall. The Zhou Dynasty limits the age of men and women. , when the marriage is decided, the six rituals are prepared... The wedding person will be the best of the two surnames, and the superior will serve the ancestral temple, and the inferior will inherit the descendants. , combined with the yin and ester, so the body is combined, the same respect and inferiority are shared, the distinction between men and women is established, and the righteousness of husband and wife is established, and then the father and the son are intimate, the monarch and the minister are upright, so it is said: the wedding ceremony is the foundation of etiquette."

Six Rites

Six rituals of ancient Han weddings. It was formed in the Zhou Dynasty and has been practiced since the emperor accepted his concubine, the crown prince accepted his concubine, and the weddings of princes and officials. Including nacai, asking for names, naji, nazheng, asking for a date, and personally welcoming. It plays a regulatory role in the marriage of men and women. There are similar provisions in "Tang Code" and "Ming Code". However, the main feature is the price paid by the man to the woman. It is a specific form of marriage purchase under the old ethics. Performance. The procedure has changed slightly through the ages. During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the crown prince had no relatives to greet him, but it was restored during the Sui and Tang Dynasties. In the early Song Dynasty, six rites were still used. Later, due to the complexity of the procedures and the inability of common people to cope with them, they often fled to other places to get married privately. During the period of political peace, the six rites were reduced to four. In the Southern Song Dynasty, Zhu Xi formulated the "Family Rites" on the basis of "Zhenghe New Rites", and deleted Naji, leaving only the three rites of Nacai, Nazheng, and personal greetings, and changed the three-month temple visit to the three-day temple visit. . During the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, "Zhu Xi's Family Rites" was clearly adopted. Although there were distinctions between Manchu and Han Dynasties, as well as scholars and common people in the Qing Dynasty, they generally did not fall outside the scope of "Zhu Xi's Family Rites". "Tongdian. Jiali III. After the Emperor accepts his concubine": "The six rites are beginning to be prepared." Du You notes: "The first is to accept the concubine, using wild goose, which means whether the selection is acceptable; the second is to ask about the name, using wild goose, which is to ask The name of a girl is a matter of divination; the third is Naji, using wild geese, which means that the divination will be auspicious, and she goes to tell her; the fourth is Nazheng, using bundles of silk to levy, and it is completed, which means that the marriage ceremony has been completed; the fifth is asking for a date. , use wild goose, it is also the day to marry a wife; the sixth day is to welcome the bride, and use wild goose. Later generations may call it "matchmaking", "matchmaking", etc. That is, the man's family invites an envoy (i.e. matchmaker) to the woman's family to express his intention to propose marriage and test the woman's family's intention. After the woman's family agrees to propose marriage, the man's family will use wild geese as gifts before formally proposing. Accept, accept; adopt, choose. Later generations of emperors or wealthy families would receive more gifts. For example, when the crown prince and the princess of the Northern Qi Dynasty accepted the gifts, the emperor sent envoys to accept them. The gifts prepared by the officials were: a lamb, a goose, and a bunch of wine, millet, millet, rice, and flour. Asking for name, Najib, asking for date, greeting in person. For poor people, pheasants, geese, etc. are used instead. "Etiquette. Shi Mun Li": "When the Ming rites are issued, the acceptance adopts the wild goose." Zheng Xuan notes: "Da means understanding. If you want to marry someone else, you must first make the matchmaker understand his words, and the female family agrees. , It is the gift of making people accept the choice. "Jia Gongyanshu said: "The one who accepts the choice is the first to choose it. He is afraid that the girl's family will not allow it, so he said it." Hu Peihui Zhengyi: "There are five gifts from the acceptance to the invitation. , all sent envoys to do it. "Tongdian. Jia Li III. The Emperor Accepts the Concubine": "Emperor Huan of the Later Han Dynasty, next year... I will follow the story of Emperor Xiaohui's acceptance of the concubine: He hired 20,000 catties of gold. , wild geese, bi, ride horses, bundle silk, as in the old code."

Asking for names

The second of the "Six Rituals" of ancient marriage. That is, the man's family formally proposes marriage, and after the woman's family agrees, the man's family will ask the matchmaker to ask the girl's mother's name, her own name, her date of birth, etc., in order to predict good or bad luck. Later generations asked questions about family status, property, position, appearance, health and other aspects. After the Song Dynasty, the six rituals were simplified, and Nacai and asking for names were often completed at one time. It is an old folk custom in Jiangnan that the man's family goes to the girl's family to ask for her name.

The bride's family wraps the girl's age with the character "geng" in red paper, along with red rice and millennium red, and delivers it to the groom's family by a matchmaker. The matchmaker remained silent, took the gift to the groom's kitchen, and offered it to the Kitchen God. If everything is safe at home within three days, ask a fortune teller for marriage or a fortune teller. If there is a broken bowl or alms bowl within three days, or if the eight characters are in conflict with each other, then the eight characters will be returned to the girl's family for an excuse. Rituals "Rites. Shixunli": "The guests are holding wild geese, please ask for their names." Zheng Xuan's note: "Those who ask for names will predict their good or bad luck." "History of the Song Dynasty. Rites 68": "The ancients... When asking about a girl's name, she returns to the Goddess's Temple, which is auspicious. This is called asking for her name and accepting the auspiciousness. ""Historical Records of the Ming Dynasty": "I only care about the way of husband and wife, and the foundation of great harmony. Inside, there must be famous people. Special envoys will ask for their names with courtesy, and they will still come to hear about them. "

Nayan

Also known as "Wen Ding" and "Tong Shu". Commonly known as "Send Ding", "Over Ding", "Dingpin", "Xiaopin", "Xiaoding", etc. The third of the "six rites" of ancient marriage. It is an etiquette for the man's family to inform the woman's family of the auspicious divination news after asking her name. It is also the main etiquette in the engagement stage. If the man's family gets a good omen from the divination and decides to get married, they will use wild geese as gifts and have the matchmaker inform the woman's family. Then the two parties will exchange marriage certificates, specifying the men's and women's official birth dates, birth dates, three generations of the family, and the name, honorary title, and honors of the officiating person. Riju et al. The meaning of "well-matched" is very obvious. The so-called "marriage letter" in "Tang Code" and other books is a written deed in which the girl's family agrees to the engagement. In the Song Dynasty, people called it "Guo Xie Tie", "Engagement", etc., which all meant making a marriage contract and were all part of "Naji". Zhu Xi's "Family Rites" of the Song Dynasty incorporated Naji into Nazheng, and since then the two rites are often performed together. In the early days, Najib used wild geese as gifts. In later generations, as the business nature of marriage developed, jewelry, colored silks, food, etc. were gradually used as gifts. Usually, relatives of the male head of the family go to the girl's house together with the matchmaker to review her family and character. The elders also have to give the girl a certain amount of money as a meeting gift, which is called a "blind date." "Etiquette. Shihunli": "Naji uses geese, just like Naji collects gifts." Zheng Xuan's note: "Return to the temple for divination, and get a good omen, and then send the envoy to report it, so the marriage is decided." Jia Gongyan Shu: "When there is uncertainty, there may be bad luck, and the marriage is uncertain, so Naji is determined." Temple, ancestral temple; Naji means that the girl's family has received good news from the husband's family that the divination has been auspicious. "Meng Liang Lu. Marriage" written by Wu Zimu of the Song Dynasty: "The man's family will ask for divination with a straw calligraphy, or pray for confession, and if he gets lucky, he will return to the cursive calligraphy, and also divulge the auspicious medium's Tongyin. Then he will pass the fine calligraphy, and it is also called a 'fixed call' '. In the post, the name of the official position of the three generations of the man's family is mentioned, which man is proposed to be married, and the official year, month A, day, auspicious time, parents may be in the hall, or not, or who is the elder of the marriage,... .The bride's family returns to the post and writes it as before, including the wife who will be married in the first month of the year and the auspicious time of birth. It contains a list of dowry, jewelry, gold and silver, pearls, treasures, movable curtains and other items, and Along with the land, property, house, house, garden, etc., the two families of the Fake family will notify each other and choose a day to send the wedding invitations. Then the groom's family will choose a day to prepare. The wine ceremony is held at the girl's house, either in the garden or on a boat on the lake. It is called a blind date. The man brings four cups of wine, and the woman prepares two cups. This ceremony is meant to symbolize the strong man and the weak woman. , then put a gold hairpin in the crown and call it a hairpin. If it is not as desired, two pieces of colored satin will be used, which is called a shock, and the marriage will not be harmonious. Now that the hairpin has been inserted, the people of Fake will be harmonious and the ceremony will be agreed upon. , go to the girl's house to report. If the house is rich, bring pearls, jewelry, gold utensils, gold skirt pleats, and pieces of tea cakes, along with two sheep, four or eight gold bottles of wine, and large flowers of silver. Fang Sheng, with red and green pinned gold wine clothes, covered the wine... and sent it to the girl's family. They prepared incense, candles, wine and fruits in the hall to make an alliance with the three realms, and then invited the girl's relatives and husband to open the ceremony. On the same day, the daughter prepared a gift in the form of violet and colored pieces, pearls and emeralds, soap scarf segments, gold and jade handkerchief rings, seven treasure handkerchief rings, silk handkerchiefs and shoes and stockings. The female worker responded with Yuan. Original) Tea cakes and fruits were sent back in four directions, and sheep wine was also sent back in half... After the delivery was made, it all depended on the intermediary's contacts, and the news was sent in the next month

Accepting the levy

It is also known as "nabi", "nacheng" and "wending". Later it was called "nacai", "sending plate", "big betrothal", "excessive gift" and "lower financial gift" in ancient times. The fourth of the "six rites" of marriage. This is a ceremony in which the groom's family sends betrothal gifts to the bride's family, marking the complete establishment of the marriage. From then on, the man and woman receive gifts from each other as in-laws. The common people used silk, the scholar-bureaucrats used Xuanxi, bundled silk, and leather; the princes added Gugui; the emperor added Da Zhang. Later generations of royal families and high-ranking officials received rich and extravagant betrothal gifts. During the reign of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, an edict was issued to limit the amount of money that could be given to the families of officials. However, in the past dynasties, people often used gold and silver as betrothal gifts, so poor people who came of age and had no money used it as betrothal gifts. "Spring and Autumn Period. Zhuang Gong's 22nd Year" said: "In winter, the public is like a qin coin. "Du Xuan notes: "Paying coins means paying taxes. ""Etiquette. Scholars' Hun Li": "Nai Zheng" Zheng Xuan's note: "Zheng, accomplished, the envoy accepts coins to complete the evening ritual. "Jia Gongyanshu said: "If you accept this, it will be a faint ceremony, so it is called a levy. "Tongdian. Jiali III. The Emperor Accepts the Concubine": "When Emperor Hui of the Han Dynasty accepted the concubine...he hired twenty thousand catties of gold and twelve horses." "Also: "In October of the fourth year of Emperor Xianqing's reign in the Tang Dynasty, an edict was issued: In order to receive wealth from a married woman, a family of three or higher grades may not exceed 300 pieces of silk; a fourth or fifth grade family may not exceed 200 pieces of silk; a sixth or seventh grade family may not exceed 100 pieces of silk; The number of horses below the eighth grade cannot exceed fifty, and they are all used for the married woman's clothing, etc., and her husband's family is not allowed to receive the wealth of the accompanying family. "Meng Liang Lu. Marriage" written by Wu Zimu of the Song Dynasty: "As a betrothal gift, a wealthy family should prepare three pieces of gold as a gift, such as a gold necklace, a gold coin, and a gold pendant." If there is no gold utensils in the house where mats are laid, they should be replaced by silver plating. Otherwise, even if the rich and the poor are different, they should follow their own convenience, and there is no fixed rule.

It is also said that officials can also receive gold pin sleeves, yellow gold pin skirts, red long skirts, or red Su Luo big sleeves; special buns with pearls and jade, crowns with pearls and jade, four-season crown flowers, rows of pearls and jade rings, etc. Jewelry, as well as fine pieces of colorful silk; plus flowers and fruits, reunion cakes, sheep wine and other items, and a silver collar as a gift to the official, which is called a "wealth gift". "Jin Fu is also a piece of gold lock." "Wen Gong Shu Yi" written by Sima Guang of the Song Dynasty: "The secular world is greedy... When you are about to marry a girl, you should first ask how much money you have to marry. This is the method of selling slaves to slaves, isn't it? It can be called the marriage of a scholar-bureaucrat! "

Asking for a date

The fifth of the "six rites" of ancient marriage. It is the etiquette for the groom's family to ask the bride's family for a date. After accepting the request, the groom's family will divine the auspicious date and send an envoy. (The matchmaker) goes to the girl's family with geese and gifts, and the girl's family will be humble, and the messenger will inform the girl's family of the auspicious date divined by the groom's family. If the girl's family cannot agree for some reason, the request must be rescheduled immediately. , the meaning is decided by the woman. In the folk, both men and women agree on the date together. After the divination is determined as an auspicious day, a post is sent to the woman's family, or the matchmaker orally notifies it. , "send the day" and so on. After the Song Dynasty, people often asked for the invitation and accepted the levy. The host bids farewell, the guest makes a promise, and bids farewell. Such as accepting gifts. "Zheng Xuan's note: "The master's resignation is a sign of harmony between yang and yin, so it is appropriate to come from the husband's family on the due date. The husband's family must predict it first, and if the day is auspicious, the messenger will go there, say goodbye, and tell him immediately. Hu Peihui Zhengyi said: "When a son-in-law's family gets good luck, they dare not directly sue the daughter's family, but they must ask the daughter-in-law's family to show that they obey the orders of the daughter's family and respect them." "History of the Song Dynasty. Etiquette": "In weddings between scholars and common people, the name Yu Nacai is given, and the date is requested to be fulfilled by Yu Nacai (Zheng)." "Zheng, to avoid Renzong's taboo "Zhen", it was renamed Nacheng.

Qinying

Also known as "Yingqin". The sixth of the "six rites" of ancient marriage. That is, the wedding ceremony. On the wedding day, the groom goes to the bride's house to marry the bride in person on the order of the wedding celebrant. The "Etiquette. Shihun Ceremony" stipulates that on the day of the wedding, the groom wears a black dress and rides in a black painted car. There are people holding candles in front of him and others behind him. From the car, go to the bride's house. The bride's father goes out to welcome the son-in-law and the groom's family. The groom hands the goose and gifts to the bride's family and goes out. The neatly dressed bride, with her head covered in a veil, follows the groom to the car. He personally gives her the rope on the car and leads her into the car. The groom will drive the car first, and then the driver will take over. The bride's family will send someone to accompany the car to the groom's house. The groom will enter the car first and wait for the bride and her guests. After arriving, the groom will take the bride into the house, and then go to the house for worship, marriage and other ceremonies. "Gongyang Zhuan" says that from the emperor to the common people, Shusun Tong made the ceremony. After recognizing that the emperor has no relatives, the bride usually uses a sedan, and the groom rides a horse or a sedan. The sedan is decorated with red and green silk, so it is called a sedan, and the etiquette and folk customs in different places are different. "Poetry. Daya. Civilization": “When a great nation has a son, he sees his sister in heaven. Wen Dingjue is like this, and he welcomes it personally. "Book of Rites. Asked by Ai Gong": "When the dusk arrives, I will greet you personally with my crown on my head, and I will kiss you personally." "Meng Liang Lu. Marriage" by Wu Zimu of the Song Dynasty: "On the day of the wedding, the groom's family will set a time and pre-order the bride and groom. Each person will use flowers such as vases, candles, incense balls, salas to wash up, put makeup on, and take a photo of the bride. Skirt boxes, clothing boxes... the street officials and others were responsible for the affairs, they hired prostitutes to ride on horses, and they encouraged the officials to lead the people to welcome the rattan sedans with medicinal eaves or rice dumpling eaves. The bride’s family welcomes new people. "

Worship at the Hall

Also known as "worship to heaven and earth". It is one of the ancient wedding rituals. It began in the Tang Dynasty and was widely practiced from the royal family to the common people. After the Song Dynasty, it became popular all over the country. Worshiping to heaven and earth, ancestors, aunts (parents-in-law), and paying homage to the husband and wife means that the woman has become a member of the male family from now on, so it has become the most important ceremony in the wedding process. In addition to paying homage to each other, it is also necessary to pay homage to family members, friendly guests and friends. After paying homage to the ancestral hall (the ancient "temple meeting" ceremony) on the day after the wedding, the wedding ceremony in the Tang Dynasty begins with paying homage to the neighbors. "Feng's Hearings and Seeings. Flowers and Candles": "In modern marriages, there are things like car carriages, son-in-law, fans, watching flowers and candles, as well as the ceremony of setting up tents and worshiping in the hall, from the royal family to the common people. Of course. "Tokyo Menghua Lu. Marrying a Wife" by Meng Yuan of the Song Dynasty: "The son-in-law invites the bride to come out in front of the bed... and then pays homage in front of the family temple." The woman walked backwards again, helped her into the room and said her obeisances, and the men each competed with each other, and after praying to each other, they went to bed... At five o'clock the next day, a Zhuo (table) was used to hold a mirror on top of it, and they looked up and worshiped, saying The bride worships in the church. The next time I paid my respects to my elders and relatives, each of them made some ingenious pieces of shoes and pillows as offerings. "

Bowing to each other

One of the ancient wedding rituals. It refers to the newlyweds bowing to each other during the wedding. It started in the Tang Dynasty and was followed by later generations. Tang Duan Chengshi's "Youyang Zazu" "Etiquette Yi": "During weddings in the Northern Dynasties, a green cloth curtain was used as a house, inside and outside the door. It was called a green house, and people worshiped here. "Sima Guang of the Song Dynasty's "Wen Gong Shu Yi": "In ancient times, there was no ritual for husbands and wives to pay homage to each other. Nowadays, when they meet each other and pay homage to each other, it is also a matter of course and appropriate to do so and cannot be abolished. "Water Margin" Chapter 104: "Wang Qing and Duan Sanniang paid homage to each other and other matters, but they also finished hastily. "The Scholars" Chapter 26: "Bao Tingxi was wearing flowers, red clothes, long-sleeved clothes, and powder-soled soap boots. He first paid homage to his father, played the wind, went over there, and paid homage to his father-in-law. Mother-in-law... After you have had tea three times, please go into the bridal chamber and worship the bride. No need to elaborate. ”

Hehuan

One of the ancient wedding ceremonies. That is, the new couple drinks Hehuan wine together in the new house. It started in ancient times.

Originally, a gourd (gourd) was cut into two, and the handles of the two vessels (ladles) were connected with seven to hold wine. The couple drank together, which means that they have become one body from now on, which is called "henu". Later generations used cups instead, which was called "Jiaobeijiu". In the Song Dynasty, there was also the custom of throwing a cup under the bed and tilting it up and down after the "Hei Na" ceremony, which showed that men bowed down and women looked up and the yin and yang were in harmony, which had obvious sexual symbolism. Later, "Hexin" was also used to refer to marriage. "Book of Rites. Hunyi": "When a woman arrives, her son-in-law bows to her to get in, and he eats while his vagina is locked. Therefore, they are one body, with the same dignity and inferiority, and they are close to each other." Kong Yingda Shu: "Those who eat while their breasts are locked, If they eat the same animal, they are not different animals... When they are combined, they are not different. When they are combined, they have the same meaning of respect and inferiority. Then we will be close to each other but not separated. "Song Meng Yuan Lao's "Tokyo Menghua Lu. Marrying a Wife": "Drinking from each other is called a cup of wine. After drinking, throw the cup and the flower crown under the bed, and lift the cup and close it. If the cloud is good, everyone will congratulate, and then the tents will be closed. ""Meng Liang Lu. Marriage" written by Wu Zimu of the Song Dynasty: "The ceremony officer... ordered the prostitute to hold two cups, and tie the bottom of the cup with red and green in the same heart. After paying the nuptials, the woman puts the cup up and down and places it under the bed, which means great auspiciousness. "

The woman meets her aunt

It is also called "visiting her aunt". One of the ancient wedding rituals. Dating back to the Zhou Dynasty, according to "Etiquette. Shimong Ji", the four steps of the ritual of becoming a woman are that a woman meets her uncle, she brings her uncle back, and her uncle brings her wife to the temple. That is, on the second day after the wedding, before dawn, the bride gets up, takes a bath, washes herself, puts on her hairpin and ordinary clothes, and goes to the door of her aunt's (parents-in-law's) bedroom to wait to see her. At dawn, my uncle and aunt took their seats respectively. My uncle was at the east table and my aunt was at the south table outside the room. The bride holds a bamboo utensil with a decorative scarf filled with dates and chestnuts in her hands. She walks to her uncle, bows down and places it on the mat. Rise up and pray, retreat to the original place, and pray again. Then he retreated to the steps, took a bamboo vessel filled with dried meat and covered with a decorative scarf, climbed up the steps, and worshiped at the mat from the north. The aunt sat at the banquet, accepted the gift, and then stood up to answer the woman's prayers. This is the end of the ceremony for the bride to meet her uncle. Dates, chestnuts and other foods symbolize women's need to be respectful and upright. When a woman feeds her uncle, the bride washes her hands and feeds meat to her elders to express her filial support for her uncle. After the uncle and aunt have drank and eaten, the mother-in-law and the wife toast two glasses of wine to the bride. After returning the toast with two glasses of wine, my uncle and aunt finished the ceremony of feasting their wives. After meeting in the temple, the bride acquires the status of "wife". In later generations, women often visited their uncles and aunts on the eve of their weddings. They visited their uncles, relatives, guests and friends in turn and offered them fragrant tea. On the third day after the bride's arrival, she cooks in the kitchen, which is a legacy of the ancient gift of gifts to her uncle and aunt. Wang Jian of the Tang Dynasty wrote a poem about the bride: "I went to the kitchen for three days and washed my hands to make soup. I didn't know how to eat, so I sent my sister-in-law to taste it first." Zhu Qingyu of the Tang Dynasty wrote a poem in "Girl's Wishes Presented to Zhang Shuibu": "The red candles were stopped in the bridal chamber last night. Worship your aunt in front of Xiaotang. "Zhong Yulong's "Speaking of Hangzhou. Marriage. Worshiping the Hall": "[The parents-in-law] bowed four times and bowed to their uncles, stood up and bowed four times... After the parents-in-law saw the ceremony, the rest of the uncles and uncles. , sister-in-law and sister-in-law, the male is on the left and the female is on the right. They worship together in order of elder and younger. "

Meeting in the temple

One of the ancient wedding ceremonies. That is, no later than three months after the marriage, the bride must choose a day to go to the husband's ancestral temple to offer sacrifices to the ancestors to show that the marriage has obtained the consent of the husband's ancestors. From then on, one can be regarded as joining the Fu clan and has the qualifications to participate in sacrifices and be sacrificed. In the feudal patriarchal era, "visiting uncle and aunt" and "meeting in the temple" were the rites of passage for women. If the bride dies without being seen in the temple, the groom's family will bury her in the tomb of her ancestors and treat her as a "young woman". When the deceased is buried, the husband cannot hold the staff and attend the funeral, and the owner of the tree cannot enter the ancestral hall of the male family. Its rituals originated in the Zhou Dynasty and reflected the characteristics of patriarchal male patriarchal rule. Later generations thought that March was too long, so the "Zhu Xi Family Rites" of the Song Dynasty changed it to three days of temple visits. In the Ming Dynasty, royal weddings still followed ancient rituals, and civil weddings were held in accordance with the edict of the third year of Hongwu (AD 1370) to worship parents-in-law and ancestors on the day after the wedding. The wife of a concubine and her bride do not need to attend the temple ceremony. "Etiquette. Shihunli": "If the uncle and aunt are gone, then the woman will serve the vegetables in the third month." "Etiquette. Zeng Ziwen": "When you see the temple in the third month, you will say that you are here. Choose a day. Sacrifice to Mi is the righteousness of a married woman. "Zheng Xuan notes: "When a married woman is righteous, she has the ritual of making offerings." Kong Yingdashu: "If Jia Kui (Jia Kui) has the righteousness of being a married woman, there is no such thing as a senior official or above. Asking if the aunt is there is only after visiting the ancestral temple in March. According to the theory, the temple visit and the bride offering vegetables to her uncle (parents-in-law) are two separate things. If the uncle and aunt are dead, they can be held together for one thing. Zhong Yulong's "Speaking of Hangzhou. Marriage. Worship": "The last time you meet your parents-in-law is to meet them. If both parents-in-law are present, they must first go to the family temple and pay eight respects to their ancestors, and then they will be remembered as their daughter-in-law.