1, to matchmaking
To the male side of a man to ask for a good talker, and familiar with both sides of the family situation of the people (mostly women, commonly known as the matchmaker) to the woman's home to propose marriage, the woman side of the woman side of the family situation, and thereafter, also trust people to secretly probing the male side of the family situation.
2. Combination of eight characters
If the woman intends to, the matchmaker intercommunication between men and women and the eight characters of the birth of men and women, and please fortune-teller "together eight characters". If both men and women's birthdates match, the two parties will be married verbally.
3, betrothal
Bazi both together, you can take it, so the betrothal is also known as "take eight". By the male party to buy red geng book, write the male birthdate, and then installed in the refined invitation box, the matchmaker to go to the woman's home will be the woman's birthdate into the same geng book, that is, the formal betrothal.
4. Recognition of marriage
The man chose an auspicious day to prepare all the clan tea (a number of pork knuckles, noodles, etc.) to the woman's home, the woman invited the clan to relatives gathered in the hall. Under the light of candles, the man is guided by the matchmaker to be humble and respectful, calling his father his mother and his aunt his uncle.
5. Reporting the date
The man goes to the woman's house to report the date of the wedding. Thereafter, the preparation of the male party enters the final stage. On the eve of the happy period, the man to prepare the bride price. The so-called "bride price", nothing more than noodles, wine, cakes and sugar, "long gun short gun" (pig long hooves called the long gun, short hooves called the short gun). The face of the male party, often the whole pig to send, called "gift pig". Men also need to prepare for the wedding clothes, women are also busy preparing "dowry", during which the furniture bedding, pots and pans, mirrors and makeup of the increasing number of things, the bride is embroidery and cutting, rushed to make the quilt cover pillowcase and in-laws of the shoes and socks.
6. Crying marriage
Crying marriage mostly in the ten days and a half months before the wedding, the bride-to-be invited neighboring girlfriends to help do needlework. Silver needles flashing, colorful thread flying, girls crying while doing, crying and not sad, crying and seemingly sad, crying in the music, seem to cry real music, singing and crying mixed, false, real, real fake, crying sound melodious, very rich sense of joy, showing the naivety of the Tujia girls. The content of the crying parents, crying brother and sister-in-law, crying sisters, crying ancestors and so on.
Second, the Tujia marriage process, the wedding
1.over the gift
The wedding date, the male party sent to the bride to send clothes, jewelry, cloth, as well as to the in-laws of the family wine, meat and even salt, tea, rice, beans and so on, called "over the gift". The ceremony should be held in front of the shrine of the woman's family, to offer to the woman's ancestors of the three generations of the medieval seal, lighting incense and candles, and discreetly placed on the table in front of the shrine of the gifts, the list of gifts to the woman's elders.
2. The woman's flower round wine.
The day before the wedding is the woman's "Hwawonju," which takes the meaning of "good flowers and a full moon" to wish the woman a happy marriage. On this day, the woman's family will be all the dowry out, wipe clean, bangza punched point. Friends and relatives come to congratulate, send congratulatory gifts, at the same time on the bride to dress up, "open face", "on the head", "wear flowers". The "open face" should be operated by aunts, aunts-in-law or sisters-in-law, using a gray thread bag to strangle all the sweaty hair on the forehead, strangling the hairline, and strangling the eyebrows as a crescent moon, braiding the hair into a "bun", wrapping it around a red headband, inserting silver hairpins, putting on silver jewelry, wrapping the head in a green silk handkerchief, wearing silver bracelets, silver hairpins, and wearing silver flowers on her hands. The silver bracelets and rings on their hands are a far cry from those of young girls.
3. Stomping on the bucket.
In the early hours of the morning, before the bride went on the road, by the song sister-in-law or brother slowly back out of the boudoir, there is no song sister-in-law brother, then by the uncle, aunt for it. Parents are not allowed to carry the bride. Through the hall, and then let the bride stand in advance placed in the hall of a square bucket, step on a pair of footprints, called: "step on the bucket". Then back out the door, to the bride put on a pair of embroidered shoes brought by the in-laws, then the bride can land on both feet. The bride's "stepping on the bucket" means that she leaves her wealth and prosperity to her mother's family, and blesses her family with a good harvest every year. Then the steward of the bride's family lights a torch made of sunflower stalks or cypress bark, and throws it at the bride before and after, showering the house with sparks and heralding the bride's bright future prospects. The bride then throws the two chopsticks she has prepared in front of her and behind her, blessing her brothers and sisters and herself with a life of abundance and food.
4. Dew umbrella
The bride on the road, whether it is sunny or rainy, the groom should be prepared by an oil-paper umbrella, called "Dew umbrella", given to the bride to play. At this time the bride on the wear right open chest, big sleeves and big swing "dew clothes", wear eight under the skirt, called "dew skirt", head wrapped in green silk handkerchiefs, Zhu Hua silver ornaments, Luang Pei jingdang, by people to help in the hall crying worship some, farewell ancestors, farewell to parents, and then take the sedan chair or walk to start! At this moment, suona, gongs and drums, firecrackers, large flags and umbrellas forward, welcoming teams carrying dowries to grab the road in front of the newcomer, otherwise it will be laughed at as "send a guest"; send a team behind the bride or sedan chair, all the way to blow, full of festive atmosphere.
5. Sitting on the bed
Before the bride stepped into the door of the in-laws, to use her feet to step on the threshold, to show that they came to the in-laws. A worship ceremony is held in front of the ancestral shrine of the groom's family. After the new couple worships heaven and earth, ancestors, parents and husband and wife, the bride and groom immediately run into the bridal chamber first and compete to sit on the bed, which is called "sitting on the bed". It is said that whoever sits on the bed first means whoever will be in charge in the future. The rules of "sitting on the bed" are male left and female right, with the center as the boundary. The girl with a plan often sit on the line, but the groom is not willing to show weakness, try to squeeze the bride to the line outside the two sides do not give way, crowded, if the fake as real. If the groom violently uncovered the bride's head covering, the bride could not help but smile sweetly, sitting on the bed will then end, very funny.
6. out of worship
The next day of worship held a "temple to see the ceremony", also known as "out of worship", the bride one by one to see the elders of the clan relatives, the elders said some blessings auspicious words, and send some money. Three days after the wedding, the bride and son-in-law back to the bride's family, called "back to the door". "Back to the door" is the bride's parents back to the province, the groom to meet the parents-in-law of the rituals. Therefore, the groom to the in-laws home to send a generous gift, such as sugar, wine, pasta, of which two dozen pounds of a pig's leg is indispensable. "Back to the door" when the bride walks in front, the groom walks behind; return home on the contrary, the groom walks in front, the bride walks behind, and can not look back.