Han Chuantong Wedding Customs
01 · Historical Records
The traditional marriage customs of the Han Chinese are of long standing. The 'Meaning of Marriage' (Hunyi) chapter of the Book of Rites says: "Rites begin with the capping ceremony, are rooted in marriage, are weighted most heavily in funerals and sacrifices, are honored in court audiences and diplomatic visits, and are harmonized in archery and village drinking - these are the great essentials of rites." The marriage customs of Jiajiazhuang in Xiaoyi City, Shanxi Province, are a folk cultural phenomenon with distinctive local characteristics; they arose in the Song and Yuan dynasties and gradually became fixed in form during the Ming and Qing dynasties.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
For thousands of years, Han Chinese weddings have been regarded as an important component of the Confucian 'rites.' From the Zhou dynasty onward, the 'Six Rites' (nacai - presenting betrothal gifts; wenming - asking the name; naji - announcing the auspicious divination; nazheng - presenting the betrothal money; qingqi - setting the date; and qinying - fetching the bride in person) became a normative custom, continuing to play an important role throughout the marital life of feudal society. The marriage rites of Jiajiazhuang take the ancient Six Rites as their backbone, but in village practice they are carried out in a form close to the life of farming households. Choosing a matchmaker starts with looking at the two families' land and house foundations; once the couple have viewed each other and their horoscopes are found to match, the betrothal is considered agreed. Betrothal gifts need not be heavy - a few catties of pastries, a few chi of cloth and silk, and a few jars of wine settle the matter. The wedding date is chosen in the agricultural off-season; the groom rides a horse or sits in a sedan chair to the bride's home, where at the door he must pass the test of scattered grain to see whether he will pick it up. Entering the house, the couple bows in the hall - first bow to heaven and earth, second bow to the parents, third bow to each other; after the rites they enter the bridal chamber together, where sitting on the bed-curtain, scattering grain on the bed, and lifting the bridal veil each have their own lore. The feast is laid in the courtyard, with the bride's dowry and the groom's household goods displayed side by side; relatives and neighbors who come with congratulations only add bricks and tiles without keeping accounts, and by the time a wedding is finished, the bond between the two families has grown a layer deeper. This whole sequence of rites is blended with local folk music, dance, and handicrafts; beyond the ritual manuals, everything is passed on orally by the elders, and the tunes for chanting the rites vary slightly from family to family.
The village version of betrothal
Families look over fields and homesteads first, compare the birth characters second, and part with little ado.
The bridegroom tested by the scattered grain
Grain is scattered at the door for the groom to gather, a village joke that puts him on show before he crosses in.
The three bows at the altar
Heaven, the parents and each other, in that order, an officiant chanting while the hall keeps silent.
Gifts counted in favour, not in cash
Guests contribute bricks and tiles rather than cash, and a favour returned later settles the account.
A wedding date chosen in slack season
Dates avoid sowing and harvest and are agreed months ahead, since farm work pins every household down.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Over the course of its long development, the marriage customs of Jiajiazhuang have become integrated with local folk music, dance, literature, and handicrafts, as well as with social beliefs, ethical and moral values; they have a broad popular foundation and have become an important part of the spiritual life of the local people. The marriage customs of Jiajiazhuang are simple and ancient in form and rich in content; taking the ancient Six Rites of marriage as their basis and combining local culture and customs, they have developed a joyous and lively sequence of marriage rites, adding color to the marriage culture of the Yellow River basin and becoming a distinctive representative of the diverse marriage customs of China.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Han Chuantong Wedding Customs · Han Chuantong Wedding Customs.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
After the transition into the modern era, with social change, the traditional 'Six Rites' essentially fell into abeyance; but in some regions survivals of the Six Rites customs and other traditional marriage customs still remain, providing extremely valuable material for research in folklore studies and sociology. Under the impact of modern civilization, the marriage customs of Jiajiazhuang have gradually lost their former luster, and many ritual procedures are on the verge of being lost, urgently requiring rescue and protection. The value of this marriage custom lies in its preservation of ancient rites as usable village rules. The names of the Six Rites are simplified in the countryside into a few concrete things - inspecting the family standing, discussing betrothal gifts, choosing the date, fetching the bride, the hall bows, and the nuptial pranks in the bridal chamber - each corresponding to how two farming households will live after being joined in marriage. At the same time, the marriage custom is a social occasion for the village: a single joyous event brings the people of two villages together, and beyond the display of rites, human sentiment is gathered in as well.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Guo Xingfu 05-3041
- Hexiaodao
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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