When a couple decides to get married, they usually invite their elders to meet. In the old society, the man's parents proposed to the woman and gave her gifts, which was called "taking". Gifts for big gifts usually include all kinds of auspicious foods and objects in China culture. Such as tea and Nostoc flagelliforme. The bride's family accepted the dowry and the engagement was formally established. Parents will also discuss the form, date and place of the wedding. After the parents met, the two families began to announce the wedding news separately and called for preparation. When the bride's parents invite relatives and friends, they should distribute wedding cakes to them as a sign of their daughter's marriage. The woman's family began to prepare her daughter's dowry and sent it to the man's family together with the list before marriage. The men held a ceremony to make beds.
On the morning of the wedding, the woman held a ceremony for her daughter and the man held a "coronation ceremony" for the groom, which indicated that the child had grown up and was going to get married from now on. Then the groom leads all relatives and friends to the woman's house to meet the bride. In front of the woman's house, as usual, friends and sisters will deliberately stop her. Only when the man answers all the questions correctly and pays enough money to open the door can he be allowed to marry the bride. So a couple took all their relatives and friends to visit the man's parents. The bride will also offer tea to her parents-in-law and the man's relatives and friends. On the second day after the wedding, if the couple live with their parents-in-law, the bride should get up early to cook for them. This ancient gift is to show the man's parents that the woman is educated, hardworking and capable. On the third day after marriage, the couple went to the bride's house together, commonly known as "returning home in three days". General process of classical wedding in China.
● Sedan chair departure: With gongs and drums, suona and lion dance, the sedan chair begins to depart. Traditionally, the bride should be carried out by her brother and put in a sedan chair. Modern people are mostly only children, and they can only be done by cousins or groomsmen, usually with their backs to each other. At present, the distance of sedan chair is only a form. Unless the two families are very close, it will be very tiring to carry them from one end of Shanghai to the other. However, it is customary to give a red envelope to the sedan chair, otherwise it will intentionally shake the sedan chair and make the bride "feel better."
● Archery across the brazier: In ancient ceremonies, the bride crossed the brazier in a sedan chair, but now it is usually the bride who directly crossed with the help of the matchmaker. Then, before getting off the sedan chair, the groom will draw a bow and shoot three red arrows at the sedan door to drive away the evil spirits that the bride may be contaminated along the way.
● Visiting the church and drinking a glass of wine: Some people have to cross the saddle after the brazier, indicating that the newlyweds are safe after marriage; Then, the groom picked up Sipa on the bride's head with a weight wrapped in red cloth. At this time, it is time for couples to pay a formal New Year call. The most important part after the meeting is not toasting, but offering tea to the high halls of both sides. Usually at this time, a group of people are in tears, the scene is touching, and there is deep affection in the warm holiday atmosphere.
With one heart and one mind, thanks to the media: in modern wedding ceremonies, many things that should be in the bridal chamber are moved out for display. For example, tying the hair should be a couple cutting some hair for each other in the bridal chamber and keeping it as a token of the relationship between husband and wife. Now this is a public performance. Later, the mothers of both sides lit dragon and phoenix candles, and the couple exchanged incense books and jewels as keepsakes, and then asked the matchmaker to give them hoofs.
Wedding scene
"One worships heaven and earth, the other worships the high hall, and the husband and wife respect each other ..." This scene is no stranger to most people. However, the pictures in this article are not stills in movies, but 100% reality show! Tired of lawn weddings, candlelight weddings, cruise weddings and other western-style weddings, the newly-married beauties in this city have become traditional again, and a series of retro weddings with firecrackers, suona sounds and gongs and drums are grandly staged on good days around the Spring Festival.
Basic elements of Chinese weddings
★ The rockhopper's dress is the most indispensable prop. The red dress looks very happy, especially the groom's dress and the jade belt with flowers on the top, which are richer than the black suit at the western wedding.
According to the ancient ceremony, the bride was sent to the bridal chamber after meeting the bride, and then she knew what her future partner was like. That kind of mood, modern sedan chair people certainly can't understand. Perhaps, only seeing the interesting appearance of the other party wearing ancient costumes will shine at the moment.
★ brazier, saddle, bow and arrow, wedding candle, golden scales, hi-pa, scissors, wheat barrel, ruler, fruit bowl, teacup, bartending, tokens of both parties, etc.