Wedding Customs
01 · Historical Records
The marriage customs of the Daur people grew out of a life of fishing, hunting, and herding, so the items of the betrothal gifts bear traces of former livelihoods: a pig and a case of wine are the common rule, with wealthy families adding a horse and a sable skin. Though the gifts vary in grade, the rules of propriety weigh the same — the proposal of marriage must be made by an elder of high prestige within the man's clan or by the clan head, who comes to the door with tobacco and wine; the betrothal, the presentation of the bride-price, and the fixing of the date must all be strung together by a matchmaker, and not a day can be saved. The whole wedding is interwoven with a large body of traditional folk songs: the proposal song at the match-making, the lovesick song after the meeting, the parting instructions sung by the mother at the bride's departure, the toasting songs and drunken songs at the wedding banquet, and the "return to the mother's home" song on the post-wedding visit — when one set of rites is finished, one set of songs is finished too.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
The traditional marriage customs of the Daur people are those practiced by the Daur people of Hanbodai Village, Fularji, in Heilongjiang. For a thousand years and more, the Daur people have lived by fishing, hunting, and herding; the rites and customs of the wedding are interwoven with a large body of traditional folk songs. For example, the "proposal song" sung at the match-making, the "lovesick song" sung after the meeting, the "parting instructions" sung by the mother at the bride's departure, the "toasting song" and "drunken song" at the wedding banquet, and the "return to the mother's home" sung on the post-wedding visit — these express the romantic and idealist sentiments of the Daur people and form an epic-like vivid panorama. The traditional Daur wedding generally proceeds through the proposal of marriage: an elder of high prestige within the man's clan or the clan head (mokun) brings the tobacco and wine required for the proposal as a meeting gift, acts as matchmaker for the young people, and after the woman's parents agree, the meeting is arranged. Betrothal: at the betrothal, the matchmaker brings the groom-to-be to the woman's home, carrying betrothal gifts such as a pig or sheep, tobacco, and wine, and the young man is subject to the appraisal and testing of the woman's family and relatives. Presenting the bride-price and fixing the wedding date: after the two sides have confirmed the marriage, the man goes to the woman's home to pay respects to the elders and sends the clothing and livestock the bride will need for the wedding, and an auspicious day is chosen for sending out invitations to relatives and friends for the ceremony. Holding the wedding: before the wedding the bride dresses and does her hair and receives her mother's parting instructions; the bride must be carried onto the cart on the back of her elder brother from her natal family, and after arriving at the groom's home she is carried off the cart on the back of the groom, followed by "worshipping heaven and earth," "lifting the bridal veil," "sitting for good fortune," and "changing forms of address." The wedding banquet begins, with relatives and friends presenting gifts and congratulating the couple through singing, dancing, and other forms. After the feast, the bride is accompanied into the bridal chamber by her elder brother's wife (her sister-in-law from the natal family), who gives pre-marital sex education and instruction on caring for her parents-in-law and husband thereafter. Three days later, the sister-in-law from the natal family accompanies the bride and groom on the "return visit to the bride's natal home" (huimen). The entire process before and after the wedding is permeated everywhere with the traditional cultural elements of the Daur people.
The proposal song
An elder or clan head brings wine and tobacco to make the proposal, singing as he speaks; the family's consent fixes the next stage.
Betrothal and the bride price
The matchmaker brings the groom with gifts of meat, tobacco and wine for scrutiny, and the man later pays his respects to the elders and posts the wedding date.
The mother's farewell song
Before the wedding the mother dresses her daughter's hair and sings her instructions, passing on the ways of managing a household one line at a time.
The carrying of the bride
The bride is carried to the cart by her brother and from it by the groom, marking in gesture the passing between two families.
Bowing, unveiling, sitting for good fortune and renaming
Four rites follow in order: heaven and earth, the parents, the veil, the seated bride, and the change of address that makes father-in-law and son-in-law of the pair.
The wine songs
Guests bring gifts and salute with song and dance; blessing songs give way to drinking songs, and the rites end at the same table as the music.
The return visit after three days
Three days later the couple return to the bride's home escorted by her sister-in-law, accompanied by the song written for the parting.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
These marriage customs are concentrated around Hanbodai Village, Fularji District, Qiqihar City. The former practice of choosing a son-in-law through martial competition has now faded, replaced by negotiation back and forth between clan elders and matchmakers; but the basic skeleton of the marriage customs is unchanged: proposal, betrothal, presenting the bride-price and fixing the date, holding the wedding, and the return visit three days later — five steps, none missing. The rule of the bride boarding the cart best shows the lingering flavor of the old custom — she must be carried onto the cart on the back of her elder brother from her natal family, and on reaching the groom's home she is again carried down from the cart on the back of the groom; the responsibility for carrying and being carried falls on the two families respectively, and a single wedding makes the human order of the two families plain.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Wedding Customs · Wedding Customs · Wedding Customs · Wedding Customs · Wedding Customs · Wedding Customs · Wedding Customs · Wedding Customs · Wedding Customs · Wedding Customs.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Mo Jinghai (from the official file of the associated inheritor): Male, Daur ethnicity, born in August 1929, native of Qiqihar City, Heilongjiang Province. From childhood, under the influence of his elders, he mastered the traditional customs and habits of the Daur people. In order to pass down the ancient custom of traditional Daur marriage customs, he continuously excavated and organized related materials and promoted and spread them through personal practice. Representative inheritor of the fifth national-level batch of the intangible cultural heritage project "Marriage Customs (Traditional Daur Marriage Customs)."
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Anfucheng 04-1986
- Mojinghai 05-3058
- Lan Yugen 05-3059
- Lei Qisong
- Wu Yumei
- Fang Weihua
- Guojinglin
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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