Under the influence of the moral concept of son preference, men are considered to be the dragon son of the family. Women are regarded as the "Virgin Mary" and the representative of peace. When a woman marries, she shoulders the responsibility of bearing children. When the husband dies, the wife can't inherit the family property, but can only share the rations of that year. After sending her husband to the coffin, her parents' fraternity took him back and settled him down.
Before marriage, the man's family should do three things: first, send the bride price to the woman's family; Second, prepare wedding supplies; Third, mobilize all relatives to build a new house for the groom. The woman's family should also do two things well: first, prepare food and wine for the reception team; Second, organize the women in the village to join the team to see the bride off. From the autumn harvest to the eve of the Spring Festival, it is a prosperous period for Li people to get married.
The wedding scene is grand and the wedding procedure is interesting, but it varies from place to place. Marriage is generally carried out through the procedures of receiving relatives, welcoming relatives, drinking auspicious wine, teasing mothers, singing, carrying water, seeing off, receiving meals, informing, asking for wives, and regulating daughters-in-law.
Wedding reception: On the morning of the wedding, the man's family sent three to five men and women to the woman's house to take care of the bride. The man, commonly known as the "rooster", is responsible for the contact; The woman is responsible for accompanying the bride. When picking up the bride, the woman gave a banquet and invited the folk eight-tone band to play. Brides and sisters will gather relatives, friends and village women to join the procession. The higher the number, the higher the status of the bride, ranging from 20 to 30 to 100.
Wedding custom: The bride should wash herself three days before the wedding, and ask someone to dress up, pluck hair and trim her eyebrows. The bride wears a gorgeous dress, a floral scarf, earrings, a silver collar and a jade bead ring around her neck, a silver medal, a silver bell and a pearl chain on her chest, a silver chain and a silver bell around her waist, and bracelets, rings and silver rings on her feet. Brides in mu area should also wear delicate reeds and shiny mica straw hats.
When the bride left her parents' house, she was escorted by her escort, and the man's house took the lead, walking in front of the team, and the band was playing. The scene is very lively. The popular wedding custom is that the bride does not show up until she sees the groom. Brides in Baoting and Lingshui areas cover their faces with umbrellas. The bride in the harmonious area covered her face with a straw hat, pretended to cry and scold her family and sent her away.
If she doesn't cry or scold, people will say that she "misses her husband" and is not filial to her parents. The bride in Nankai District of Baisha County is led by four escorts at the four corners of the red carpet, and the bride is hidden inside. Li brides in Qiongzhong county and coastal areas do not wear veils and choose to follow their husbands and mothers. They should be young men and women born in the same year as the bride and groom, and their bodies and looks are roughly similar to those of the bride and groom. In the Li nationality in the Serbian dialect area, the groom leads the team to pick up the bride at the woman's house.