Manchus, like their ancestors, retained many primitive marriage customs. The most obvious is the "labor marriage" or "buy and sell marriage". In the Jianzhou female real people, popular "male under the female" custom, that is, men and women in marriage, men to women's homes, the man should go to the woman's home to the female elders kowtow to the woman's parents to ask for approval. After the female parents agreed, the male family to give the female family bride price, and horses, cattle, armor, bows and vectors, clothes, slave girls and so on. Some can not afford the bride price, to serve in the female family, but also due to insufficient number of bride price and not married for life. This kind of sale of marriage in Manchu society retained for a long time, only the nature of the change.
Manchu society also prevailed in the early days of receiving the marriage system, that is, the father died, his wife's mother, after the death of a brother, his wife's widowed sister-in-law. This custom was y Confucian ethical concepts of society as "incest". In Manchu society, it was strictly prohibited by law and strongly condemned by public opinion. This kind of marriage custom in the economic underdeveloped period, play a role in preventing the outflow of property. The Li Dynasty Records" recorded in Jianzhou left guard chief Fancha's mother Wu also giant first married wave Hou, then married wave Hou's half-brother Baoqi, is the phenomenon of this collection of marriage. In the Qing dynasty rumors have been long and noisy Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang married dorgon, is also the best example of receiving marriage.
Polygamy was practiced in early Manchu families because of the practice of inheritance marriage. Nurhachu's father Takashi married three wives, Nurhachu married nine wives, his brothers are also polygamous. In Nurhachu's palace, in addition to his wife, "all the Fujin", there are called "small Fujin" people, these people in Nurhachu's harem called "concubine consort", and even the "small Fujin". "Little Fujin" name is not a woman. This and wife system until the Yongqian period was removed. And the folk and wife of the system until the end of the Qing Dynasty, there are still survivors, and the Han's wife, concubine system is clearly different.
The Liaohe River Basin Manchu marriage customs, on the one hand, inherited the ancient customs of the nation, on the other hand, by the influence of the Han wedding customs, the emergence of the phenomenon of Manchu-Chinese customs mixed. From betrothal to consummation, there is a complete set of etiquette. Liaohe River Valley wedding customs and other areas are not the same, take the Northeast, the Manchus living in the northern part of the Northeast to retain more of the customs of the ancestors of the Manchus, while in the southern part of the Manchus more mixed with the color of the Han wedding customs. Even in the southern region of the Liaohe River Basin, wedding customs are not consistent across the region.
Liaohe River Valley Manchu marriage customs, generally speaking, in the woman after adulthood, parents that is for the marriage. First by the matchmaker correspondence to meet the marriage. After the agreement, without the hairpin and other hairpins for the fixed gift, called "put the fixed". On this day, the woman dresses up to meet the male family elders to give money, so-called "installed smoke money".
On the day of the wedding, the man's elders led the bridegroom to the woman's home to meet the woman's parents and elders, known as "kowtow". On this day, the bride price sent by the male side will be displayed in front of the ancestral shrine, the two families and kneel in front of the shrine, wine two cups, each other Jiaozhi offering, called "for the marigold".
"Playing under the place", "insert the car" of the custom is the traditional style of Manchu weddings. Nurhachu family married Mongolia tribal women as wives, are sent by the female family to the middle, by the male family to meet. Horqin's Manggus Baylor married daughter to Huang taiji as his wife, Huang taiji went to meet in Huifa's Hulhada met, that is, set up a big feast into marriage. In recent times, some places have canceled the "car" custom, generally in the day before the wedding, the road near the groom driving a colorful car to welcome back; far away, women's homes in the four-horse car carrying the dowry to send the woman to the man's home, in front of the car has a number of strong men, riding a horse to the first. At this time, the male family placed in front of a good long case, on the upper side of the three bowls of wine, to be guests to the full drink this cup, called "windward wine", also known as the "horse cup". After drinking, the car and horse arrived, into the room to place the dowry. The new bride stayed in another home, called "the next place". The next day at an auspicious time, with a colorful car to welcome back.
Welcoming, the bride on the colorful sedan chair, feet are not allowed to land, by the female family brothers holding the sedan chair, commonly known as "holding the sedan chair". After the bride off the groom off the groom, the groom to take the horsewhip lightly hit the bride three times, or by the groom towards the door of the sedan chair to shoot three arrows, and then worship ceremony, said to drive away the black god.
After worship, the bride is not the first cave, set up beforehand in the cave on the right side of the green cloth tent, inside the bedding, the bride sits in which this is a Manchu wedding in the "sitting tent" custom. To be the bride's relatives resigned to return, the car has gone, the horseback riding back, the groom in front of the door on the case, to each person three bowls of wine, called "on the horse wine". At this point, the groom moved into the new room.
The customs of the Manchu people to have children, with a strong hunting nation of simple, rugged flavor, some also inherited from the hunting era of the ancient style.
"Lokcho", is to point out that birth, is the birth custom of the Manchu. In the very early days, Manchu women give birth to children, are in the kang, before giving birth, the kang mat rolled up, in the kang spread a layer of grass, maternal labor in the grass delivery. Legend has it that Mr. Zu down when in the grass nest, in order not to forget, descendants follow this custom.
Manchu custom, the birth of a man to hang arc in the door on the left, the birth of a woman set front in the door on the right. Arc is not really a bow and arrow, but with a small tree strips made into a bow, with red silk thread as a string, in the center of a small arrow made of feathers. After the full moon, the bow is removed from the door and tied to a string. In some places, it is called the "Duke's Arrow," implying that when you grow up, you will not forget to honor martial arts and strive for fame and fortune.
By the Han Chinese influence, the Manchu child birth also have "do full moon", "steam 100 years old", "catch the week" and other customs. Baby full moon, the mother's family to send embroidered hats, clothes, toys, etc., called "do full moon". Infant one hundred days, the mother's family to send one hundred steamed buns, known as the "steam 100 years old"; gift of money one hundred, known as the "centennial money". The baby to the anniversary, in front of the baby, put the knife and scissors, color line, toys, bows and arrows, ink, etc., so that the baby arbitrarily grasp, in order to see its will, so-called "grasp the week".
In the Qing Dynasty, the Manchu after the birth of a boy, to the flag Yamen register, to receive "silver money", said "eat money grain", as the eight banners "young Ding". There are also lifelong not to receive the money grain of the remaining, Manchu said "Sura", also known as "idle". Where to eat the money grain, after growing up to wear armor when the police, as the eight banners soldiers can not move to it at will. In the late Qing Dynasty, many of the eight banners of the family based on the eight banners of the system of constraints and livelihood hardship, out of the flag for the people, the birth of children no longer "eat money grain".
Manchu baby-sitting sleeping rocking car. In ancient times made of birch bark, more than a meter long, more than 60 centimeters wide, the two ends were semi-circular, slightly up, like a boat. Now some places still use the rocking car, mostly made of linden wood panels, the edge of the system on the red lacquer, painted patterns, writing "long life", "dragon and phoenix" and other auspicious words. Manchu like babies sleep a flat head, the birth of babies, passed down from generation to generation, has not changed. The Han Chinese living in the north also inherited its custom.
Manchu "locks" custom is more common. When a child is born, the bow and arrow hanging near the door or cloth front, to be taken back after the full moon tied to the children and grandchildren on the rope. The children and grandchildren rope, also known as "lock money", installed in the west wall in the middle of the children and grandchildren bag, where is the Buddha's head mother's god. It is said that the Buddha's head is a god that protects babies, and every year in the spring and fall, sacrifices are made to the Buddha's head to seek blessings. At the beginning of the festival, the descendant rope is pulled all the way from the Buddha's head mother's shrine to the courtyard, where there is an incense burner set up with rice cakes, incense plates, and so on, and a willow branch is tied to the leg of the table, to which the descendant rope is fastened. Men and women in the family not word and hold a child women kneeling in front of the case, the crowd kowtowed. Shaman first willow branch dipped in water sprinkled all over the child's head, and then held the incense dish in front of each child smoked, said to drive away evil spirits. Subsequently, remove the colorful line on the descendant rope, were set in the children's hands and neck and neck or neck, after three days, and then retrieve the storage in the descendant bag, so-called "lock change". Now the Manchu people are no longer engaged in ritual activities, but still have the custom of padlock every spring and fall.
Marriage customs in northern Shaanxi (the following Web site in more detail):
Marriage customs in northern Shaanxi have four kinds: one is a "doll marriage", in the child at the age of four or five years old by the parents set; a "child bride", is the old family because of the female family difficulties, parents will sell their daughters underage. The parents sold their underage daughters to the men's home to the age of thirteen or four years old and then married; a free love; the other is the traditional Han Chinese "matchmaking" type of marriage.
"Matchmaking" type marriage in the matchmaker set up both parents agree, first by the female mother and daughter to the male family to see, if the female received the gifts of the male side, that the marriage is a success, the date of the betrothal ceremony, and then choose an auspicious day for marriage. The day of the marriage, the male family to meet the marriage team set off early in the morning, after arriving at the woman's home, regardless of the time early or late, you have to eat breakfast first, and then eat lunch. After lunch, the marriage team to the male home, along the way to meet the village that is blowing music, in order to show the celebration. Sedan chair to the male family village, an old man hand-held plate, plate put two dishes and a pot of wine, waiting at the intersection, by the matchmaker on behalf of a glass of wine, called "pick up the road". Sedan chair into the courtyard, the groom to take the bride out of the sedan chair, called the "withdrawal of the tent", followed by the ceremony of worship of heaven and earth.
After the worship of heaven and earth, the groom quickly picked up the incense on the incense pipe running into the bridal chamber, the bride was held by her brother-in-law, and the groom ran into the bridal chamber, it is said that the first to welcome the upper hand everywhere. Inside the bridal chamber, there is a Mrs. guard, called "light account". Newlyweds into the bridal chamber, sitting back to back together, the person with a wooden comb will be men and women's hair cross on each other's shoulders, combing and singing. The bride combed on the disk head, from the end of the teenage years. Then, the beginning of the haunting of the room. In the middle of the night, the bridegroom's mother to put a tray with a bun into the cave, the bride and groom each eat half of the bun, eat the bun, the mother-in-law to speak and sing the toast.
The next morning, the groom should be brought to the guests wash water in front of the guests, please guests wash, and then, the groom and the proxy for the wine and food, to the guests, called drink "Fu-tou wine".
After breakfast to "light box", the dowry one by one to show, then, in-laws and relatives in order of seniority, the bride and groom one by one to pay their respects to be worshiped, to be worshiped by the person, to reward the money to thank. After lunch, the bride returned to the door
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