In addition to these, there are also settings like three books and six rites:

The three books refer to the letter of appointment, the letter of gift and the letter of welcome:

The letter of appointment is a letter of engagement to be used at the time of engagement, and is given to the woman's family at the time of "najib" (passing the word).

The Book of Rites is a book used to "pay tribute" (excessive gifts), and the type and quantity of gifts will be listed in detail in the Book of Rites.

The book of greeting, as the name suggests, is the book of greeting the bride, that is, it is used when "greeting".

The Six Rites are divided into the following steps:

Nacai: also known as "selection", which is equivalent to what later generations called "proposing" and "talking about matchmaking". It indicates that the man has carefully considered the decision he made. "Wen Gong Family Rites" said: "The gift of accepting its choice, and the so-called words in this world." In ancient times, it was relatively simple and simple, as recorded in the "Ceremonial Scholars' Ceremony", the meeting ceremony carried out by the scholar class was called "Zhen" or "Zhi", and only "used geese". It was supposed to hold a pheasant, but the pheasant is not easy to catch alive, most of them are dead pheasants, it is not suitable for marriage, and the wedding is a major event in life, so the newlyweds are allowed to wear and use clothing beyond their status level.

Du You's general dictionary records thirty kinds of gifts needed for harvesting:

Yuan, sheep Yuan, like the sky, the law, the sheep and Xiangye, the group but not the party geese: the geese follow the sun.

Sake: Sake brings blessings

Baijiu: The reason for the joy of liquor

Japonica rice: Japonica rice feeds

Rice: Rice Rice Harvest

Pu: Pu is numerous, soft in nature

Reed: The reed is soft for a long time

Curly cypress: Curly cypress curly curly epiphytic

Golden Harvest: Golden Harvest Sulu

Thread sewing clothes: long-lived thread sewing clothes, life extension glue can be different kinds

Lacquer: The paint has good light inside and outside

Five-color silk: The five-color silk chapter is endless

Acacia bells: Acacia bells sound harmoniously

Jiuzimo: Jiuzimo is an immortal descendant

Money: Money and brightness are more than enough

Lude, vanilla: Lude vanilla is auspicious

Phoenix: The phoenix is a male and female couple

Relic Beast: Relic Beast is honest and humble

Mandarin duck: The mandarin duck must be in harmony with the four songs

Blessed Beast: The blessed beast is respectful and kind

Fish: Fish are not shot

Deer: Deer is also a deer

U: Birds know how to feed, filial piety to their husbands and mothers

Nine Sons: Nine Sons have four gains

Yang Sui: Yang Sui became famous and settled

Dan: Dan is the glory of the king's color, the green is the color head, and the east begins

If the female family accepts the man's proposal, he will give the daughter's name and time to the man's family, and put it in front of the god or ancestor to divinate the good fortune, such as the auspicious omen, it will decide to marry the daughter of the female family.

Najib: Najib, that is, the Wending, is a bit like the engagement of Westerners, when the marriage has actually been preliminarily agreed.

"Na" means to hire money, and "Zheng" is the meaning of "becoming", that is, the male family needs to pay the dowry before they can get married. During the ceremony, the man will invite two or four female relatives (who must be the blessed person) to bring the bride price, gift money and dowry to the woman's home, and the marriage contract will be finalized after the ceremony of accepting the bride price.

Invitation: Invitation is the meaning of "choosing an auspicious day" to get married. The man will choose an auspicious day for marriage, and then prepare a letter and gifts for the woman, and the woman can determine the marriage date after receiving the gift and consent.

Greeting: Also known as greeting, the groom will go to the woman's house with the matchmaker and relatives and friends to marry the bride on the wedding day. Before the groom goes to the woman's house, he will first pay homage to the ancestral temple of the woman's family, and then take the bride back to the man in a sedan chair. The newlyweds will hold a ceremony to worship the heavens, the earth, and their ancestors in the man's house, and then send them to the cave house.

In addition, there are three steps: changing the Geng spectrum, passing the text, and passing the big gift:

Changing the genealogy means that the family of the man and the woman exchange genealogy with each other as a proof of marriage. After the matchmaker proposes marriage, if the time and character of the man and woman do not clash with each other, the two parties will change the score.

The man will choose an auspicious day and bring some gifts to the woman's house, the gifts are generally three animals, wine ceremony, etc., and officially present the letter of appointment.

After the "passing ceremony" is held, the "great gift" ceremony is held, which is the most solemn and important ceremony of the engagement, because after this ceremony it is equivalent to the formal conclusion of the marriage contract. As with the "Guo Wending", the man will choose an auspicious day and bring the bride price and various gifts to the woman's family, and the woman will also prepare a return gift.

For example, three animals: two pairs of chickens, two males and two females (if the parents are incomplete, one pair is enough), and pork from three to five catties of double fly (like only fly), that is, one piece is connected to open two, in order to show rich and sincere respect.

Fish: big fish or dace, which means fishy (sound) atmosphere, and also means that there is a head and a tail, and there is more than one year after another.

Tea and sesame: Because seeds must be used to plant tea, tea is used as a gift, which is a metaphor for a woman who must be trustworthy and have no regrets once she signs a marriage contract, that is, "oil hemp tea ceremony".

Gift box (gift box): There are lotus seeds, lilies, green wisps, cypresses, betel nuts two pairs, sesame seeds, red beans, mung beans, red dates、...... There are also red head ropes, Li Shi, bride money, ornament gold, dragon and phoenix candles.

Considering that Wang Xuanqing's parents have passed away, Ling Hao is ready to give Wang Xuanqing some more tangible compensation after marriage.

After the three books and several gifts are ready, it is the turn of the six gifts of the main event:

Bed-making: After the auspicious day is chosen, a "man of good fortune" moves the new bed to its proper position a few days before the wedding. The location should be determined according to the eight characters of both men and women and the position of the gods, and the place of the bed should not be opposite to the sharp corners of the table, cabinet and square cupboard.

Then, a "lady with a lot of children and grandchildren" is in charge of making the bed and putting out a variety of happy fruits, dried lychees, red and mung beans and laisee.

After the bed is made, after the bed is made, it is forbidden to let yourself or other adults sit and lie down, especially widows and unmarried, but you can let the baby play in the bed first, which means that you will get rich.

Dowry: The dowry must be delivered to the man's family at the latest the day before the marriage. The amount of dowry symbolizes the status and wealth of the female family. With the exception of jewelry, dowries are mainly auspicious things:

Butterflies Double Fly: Scissors

Sweet Honey: Flakes of sugar

Flowers Bloom Rich: Vases

Abundant food and clothing: seventy-two sets of clothes

Crying and marrying

According to the "Book of Rites", "Confucius said: The house of marrying a girl does not stop candles for three nights, and thoughts are separated." ”

Crying for marriage may be a difficult thing to understand today, but in ancient times, because transportation was not as convenient as modern times, it was difficult for a daughter to have the opportunity to see her family after she got married.

In fact, after marriage, a woman can not return to her parents' home to visit her family at any time as she does today, and her husband's approval is required to return to her parents' home.

In addition, there is also the following theory: it is said that weeping marriage originated from the fact that women could not have free marriage in ancient times, so they would use the song of weeping marriage to complain about the unfair marriage system in ancient times.

Above: In ancient times, men performed the "crown ceremony" at the age of 20 to indicate that they had reached adulthood. And the woman is fourteen or fifteen years old and the adult performs the "and the ceremony". Indicate that you have reached the age of marriage. Therefore, the coming-of-age ceremony is inextricably linked to the wedding.

After the marriage, the woman needs to change the hairstyle to indicate that she is no longer a girl, but a bride to be married. "Upper head" is not only to comb the hair and pull it up, but also to dress up the whole head, but also to open the face thrush, apply grease and powder, etc.

"Open face" refers to the use of fine fleece to remove the hair from the bride's face and make the face smoother.

"Going up" is a very elaborate ritual. The person who helps the "head" must be a "blessed person" (commonly known as "good fortune guy" and "good life wife"), that is, this person is a person with all six relatives and a house full of children.

In addition, the mother's family will also hold a banquet, and the grandeur of the "top" can also be seen here.

The "good man" and the "good wife" combed the hair of the bride and groom, and while combing it, they said:

One comb to the end, two combs to the white hair and eyebrows, three combs to the children and grandchildren, four combs to the four silver shoots are all marked.

Hijab: The bride usually wears a square red scarf three feet long on one side and covers her head, this red scarf is called "hijab", commonly known as hijab.

There are generally two theories about the marriage custom of hijab: one is that the hijab is to cover shame, and the other is that it originated from the ancient plundering marriage, which means that the bride will never find her way back after wearing the hijab.

Going out: Going out means that the bride leaves her mother's home. When the auspicious time arrives, the woman must be carried on the sedan chair by the eldest sister, and it is said that if the bride touches the ground with her feet, it will bring bad luck.

When going out, the bride's sister-in-law is not allowed to send each other, because the sister-in-law has the homonym of the sweeping word of the broom star, so people believe that the sister-in-law will bring bad luck when she goes out.

When today's brides go out, the bridesmaids (who accompany the bride through the door to the man's house, and must be unmarried) hold up a red umbrella to protect the bride, taking the meaning of spreading the leaves. The eldest sister and the sisters sprinkled rice into the sky, the top of the umbrella and the top of the float as they walked, which was used to "feed the golden rooster", which means that the chicken will not peck the bride after pecking the rice. At the end, before boarding the float, the bride bows to her relatives and friends to show her appreciation.

Welcome: In ancient times, when marrying, the man had to go to greet the marriage. "Welcome" is also the most solemn of the six rites. If there is no bridegroom, there is no bride. In ancient times, there were those who walked and those who used cars, and it was more common to use an eight-person sedan chair to greet relatives.

The person who carries the sedan chair must be physically strong, and when encountering someone else's sedan chair, he must not meet them, and must walk around. When you come back, you have to go back from a road to get the meaning that you won't go back. If you pass through temples, ancestral halls, tombs, wells, rivers and other places on the way, you must be covered with a sedan chair by the man who marries a man with a red felt, as the meaning of "warding off evil spirits".

If you meet a funeral procession on the way, the person who greets your relatives will say, "Today is auspicious, you have met a treasure!" Why is this happening, and will the funeral procession be a treasure? In fact, this is because the homonym of the coffin is "to view wealth", that is, to see the treasure, so the main reason for saying this is to have an auspicious picture.

Passing the door: Passing through the door means that the bride officially enters the door of the man's house after going out from the woman's house, and meets Aunt Weng and other elders of the man's family.

Legend has it that Aunt Weng could not see the newcomer enter the door directly in the hall, because it would clash with each other. Therefore, when the woman enters the man's house, Aunt Weng will come out of the room to meet the newlyweds.

Then the bride and groom will worship heaven and earth first, and then their ancestors. The newlyweds will bow down to Aunt Weng with tea. Aunt Weng would say some blessings and give jewelry and gifts to the bride. The bride is required to wear the ornament as a token of appreciation as soon as she receives it. The bride and groom will then serve tea to other elders and relatives.

Chapel

"Chapel", also known as "worship heaven and earth", is a very important ceremony in weddings. Interestingly, the "worship hall" does not belong to the ancient "Three Books and Six Rites" of the rituals.

The marriage custom of "worshipping the church" was very popular after the Song Dynasty, and after the "worshipping hall", the woman officially became a member of the male family.

During the "chapel", the celebrant of the wedding will say loudly:

"One worships heaven and earth, two worships the high hall, husband and wife worship, and enter the cave room together. ”

In fact, worshipping heaven and earth represents the worship of the gods of heaven and earth, and worshipping the high hall is the embodiment of filial piety; as for the worship of husband and wife, it means that husband and wife respect each other as guests. To some extent, conjugal worship was one of the few times in ancient times when women could be given the same status as men.

Three dynasties return to the door: three dynasties return to the door, that is, return to Ning, three dynasties refers to the third day after marriage, the bride is accompanied by her husband, with the preparation of roast pigs and gifts back to her parents' house to worship the ancestors, and then with the husband back to the husband's house; according to legend, there was such a custom in the pre-Qin period.

Guining means to go back to your parents' home to report your safety. In ancient times, transportation was not as convenient as modern times, and if a woman had a husband whose house was far away from her mother's house, the so-called marriage from her husband, and the woman might not have the opportunity to return to her mother's house after arriving at her husband's house.

So returning to the door may be the last chance for a woman to set foot in her mother's home. Because of this, people attach great importance to the wedding custom of Guining.

The costumes and props of ancient weddings are also quite exquisite: the groom wears a champion robe, and the bride wears a phoenix crown.

The champion robe is a change from the red nine-grade official uniform, and the hat is a black gauze hat with palace flowers.

The phoenix crown is a phoenix model decorated with silver or other textures, and the xia curtain is a red shawl, and in general, the bride wears a red silk jacket and trousers, embroidered shoes, and embroidered auspicious motifs such as mandarin ducks, plum blossoms, and lotus flowers.

In addition to these, there are also arrangements for wedding personnel to be scheduled:

The next dowry: The man's parents are responsible. Gifts to the woman and gifts, which are called Nacai and Nazheng in the old days, usually include a variety of foods and items that represent auspiciousness in Chinese culture. Such as tea, etc.

Matchmaker: A person who has a close relationship with both families and is responsible for inviting the elders of both parties to meet and promote communication.

Boy: Played by an unmarried man from the man's family, he is responsible for serving tea and welcoming the sedan chair during the wedding process.

Fully-fitting: played by several young and beautiful unmarried women from the woman's family, helping the bride get off the sedan chair when the bride gets off the sedan chair.

Wedding Master of Ceremonies: Announce the official start of the ceremony, introduce important relatives and friends of both parties, and give a blessing speech.

Officiant: A respected elder or friend will give a speech for the wedding.

The necessary props for the wedding are as follows:

1. Sedan chair: As the core part of traditional weddings, sedan chairs have been popular since the Southern Song Dynasty. It is divided into two kinds of four people and eight people, and there are dragon sedan chairs and phoenix sedan chairs. The body of the sedan body is covered with red curtains, and the dragon and phoenix are inserted on it, and the four corners are hung with silk spikes. Wealthy families marry five sedan chairs, three sedan chairs, the female greeter on the way to marry takes one ride, and the remaining two rides are sat by the sedan chair boy; When the bride, the bride, the bride, and the person who sends the relatives each sit on a ride, and there are two blue sedan chairs, which are covered with blue tweeds, and a copper roof is inserted on it, and the groom and the best man each sit on a ride.

2. Flag gong umbrella fan: It is located in the greeting procession, before the flower, which can make the whole greeting ceremony lively and spectacular.

3. Firecrackers: During the journey, firecrackers should be set off all the way to celebrate.

4, Fengguan Xia Wei: The family who marries the daughter is very particular about the wedding dress, whether rich or poor. Wearing a red jacket inside, embroidered shoes on the feet, a tassel streamer at the waist, an embroidered skirt under it, wearing a "phoenix crown" woven with pompoms, pearls, jade silk pendants and other decorations, and then draped a brocade embroidered with various auspicious patterns on the shoulders - "Xia Wei".

5. Hijab: In ancient times, the bride wore a phoenix crown and a red cloth to cover her head to cover her shame and avoid evil, and the red color took the auspicious meaning.

6. Saddle: "Saddle" and "An" have the same sound, taking its long-term meaning of "peace". It is mostly placed on the threshold of the cave room, indicating that the bride crosses the saddle and keeps her safe. When the bride's front foot enters the threshold, and the back foot is raised and has not yet fallen, then the saddle is removed by the whole person with parents and children, which is just in line with the meaning of "a strong woman does not marry a second husband, and a good horse does not deserve a double saddle".

7. Brazier: It is a pot of fire placed at the gate to let the bride step over, implying that the days after marriage are prosperous.

8. Heaven and earth table: mostly placed in the courtyard, the table magnifying bucket, ruler, scissors, mirror, abacus and scale, called "six certificates". Meaning: You can know how much food there is at home, how much cloth there is, how good the clothes are, what kind of face you have, whether the accounts are clear, how important things are, etc. There is often a saying among the people that only when the "three media (matchmaker) and six certificates" are complete, it means that the newlywed is reasonable and legitimate. The wedding ceremony held at the auspicious time is commonly known as "worshipping heaven and earth", presided over by the master of ceremonies, one worships heaven and earth, two worships the high hall, and the third is the husband and wife worship.

9. Weighing stalks: After entering the cave room, the groom picks off the bride's red hijab with weighing stalks, which means "satisfactory".

10. Flower candles: Pair of bright red candles are used in wedding ceremonies and lit in halls and caves. Because there are many gold and silver dragon decorations, it is called "flower candles......