The Naxi people, who live on the banks of the beautiful Lijiang River, practise monogamy and forbid people from the same family from tying the knot. Men and women usually get married around the age of 20, and early marriages are rare.
The Naxi women attending the wedding are required to wear traditional national costumes and drape themselves in their favorite apparel, the seven-star shawl. This shawl is colorful and very beautiful. It is made of a whole piece of black sheepskin, the upper part of the sewing 6 cm of black tweed edges, two shoulders with silk thread embroidered into the sun and moon patterns and sequential arrangement of the "seven stars".
People call this kind of shawl as "wearing stars and moon". It symbolizes the Naxi women's hard work in the stars and the moon. The shawl is both decorative and practical.
In the Naxi area, not because of a casual invitation to attend or enter the wedding banquet, at the same time, not because the host's "decline" and miss the opportunity to go to the host's funeral. Because for the Naxi people, disaster and sadness at the time of help will be the most reliable basis for friendship, and can even eliminate the usual grudges. On the contrary, if you only know in the celebration of joy, do not know in the grief of condolences, will be regarded as false or general friends.
Young men and women of the Naxi ethnic group, because of the freedom of love, therefore, before marriage most of them have their sweethearts and sweethearts. Engagement in the Naxi language for the "day clam", meaning to send wine, the boy grows to about 5 years old, parents will be entrusted to the matchmaker to bring a pot of wine to the suitable woman's home for their son to say goodbye to the two parents agreed to wait until the girl grows to about 10 years old will be engaged to choose an auspicious day.
After choosing an auspicious day, the man's family will perform the rituals of "small wine" and "big wine" to the woman's family, and will send gifts to the woman's family every year at the Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival and Winter Solstice Festival.
After the arrival of the bridegrooming team, the female family closed the door, the door sung through the door to ask for a happy song, the answer to the right side of the open door to welcome in the bridegrooming that is withdrawn "open the door to the money". The bride sacrificed ancestors, parents, friends and relatives, while crying, said she could not leave her mother's home. When the bride enters her husband's house, she must cross the saddle in the center of the threshold, which indicates that she has become a member of the man's family.
The day before the wedding, the groom's home is also a busy, in accordance with the traditional Naxi "can not see the sky" of the custom, to set up a pergola in the patio, the roof of the shed on the cover of the red cloth or red silk, the shed under the pine wool. But also specialize in making a welcome house and prepare for the wedding supplies. All of these things should be invited to the competent male elders of the clan to preside over.
When the wedding is held, the house is decorated with lights and colors, and a sieve made of red paper kernel is hung over the door of the cave, with the words "Kirin is here" and three arrows made of willow or peach branches are inserted to prevent the white tiger from entering the door, which is also a taboo. The new bed is placed by the matchmaker and the bridegroom's mother, and a grandparent, a boy whose parents are alive and well is invited to sleep with the bridegroom on the new bed that night to press the bed.
The next day, the groom, accompanied by the matchmaker, relatives and friends, went to the woman's home to receive the bride, and prepare an empty sedan chair or horse, in the return to the bride to ride, ride, while bringing two tables of wine and other gifts. Arrive at the door of the female party, the bride's party played music, played three times, the door of the female party open, the bride can enter, and then received a warm reception.
Generally around noon, the male bridegroom's female companion to carry the bride into the sedan chair. At this time, the bride struggled, a look of reluctance to go. After comfort and persuasion, only to say goodbye to parents and friends, accompanied by aunts, uncles, sisters, etc. Sedan chair or horseback riding on the road.
The bride came to the door of the man's home, but the door of the man's home is closed. At this time, the bride people at the door singing Naxi tune, so that the male family to open the door. The woman's family sang outside the door, "Golden camel to come or not? Silver camel to come or not?" At that moment, someone in the group sang and answered, "The golden camel is coming, the silver camel is coming, open the door quickly."
After some singing, the door opened, the bride and groom to both from the red paper saddle across the past, in order to enter the door. At this time, the Dongba to chant, while the bride's head a few drops of ghee or splash some water, said the bride is already the man's family.
The bride into the house, to send in-laws each a pair of shoes. At this time, the bride to give the bridegroom shoes deliberately thrown to the depths of the new bed, so that the groom stooped down to pick up the incredibly wearable, this custom is known as footwear.
Then the ceremony was held. The bride and groom first pay homage to heaven and earth, ancestors and in-laws, and then to the elders in the family, and then the couple pay homage to each other. During the worship, the bride holds a salt bar in her hand and the groom holds a tea pot. After worship, the bride to symbolically look at the dowry of the red cabinet, lock the key casually thrown in the red cabinet, the children suddenly scrambled up, because the night shift to grab the key with, who will be able to redeem from the bride to the wedding candy.
Evening, in the new room set up by the woman's family brought the banquet, the bride and groom accompanied by a few children **** into the dinner, the rest of the guests by the man's family feast. In the evening, young men and women can go to the haunted room, can gather together, dancing Naxi Dongba dance, Naxi Dongba are momentarily singing wedding tune, full of warm, joyful atmosphere. On this day, the woman's family also at the same time feast friends and relatives, please Dongba singing wedding tune.
The next day, the mother-in-law to personally bring and feed the new bride a bowl of lotus seed congee, a bowl of noodles, to show concern for the bride. On this day, there is also a ceremony of recognizing relatives, that is, all the people in the family of the male head of the family are invited, in the order of elders and children, so that the bride one to pay homage. The elders also give their blessings to the bride and send the bride meeting gifts.
The third day for the return. The bride and groom to bring gifts back to the woman's home one by one to see the woman's parents, uncles, uncles, uncles and other elders, and with them *** with the meal. According to custom, no matter how far the journey, the newlyweds should return to the man's home on the same day.
The fourth day, the bride was accompanied by a sister-in-law and so on, went to the street to buy fish, green onions and Songming and other things, respectively, to indicate the love of fish and water, brighten the future and the child smart and other meanings. After the wedding, but also to hold a ceremony to send the god of joy. The gods of joy are the drummers who welcome the bride.
After the wedding ceremony is over, the pergola is taken down, and the drummers are paid for their work and go home. On the way out, the bridegroom with the head of the pig governor, wood stick to make the gesture of chasing, called "send the god of joy". At this point, the Naxi wedding announced the end.