Book of Rites, Vague Marriage Custom

Ancient marriage etiquette-six rites. It refers to six kinds of etiquette from marriage negotiation to marriage completion, namely, accepting gifts, asking names, accepting gifts, inviting guests and welcoming them face to face. This wedding procedure was established in the Zhou Dynasty and first appeared in the Book of Rites. Most of the later generations followed Zhou Li, but the name and content changed. In the third year of Yuan Dynasty (AD 3), Emperor Han Ping ordered Liu Xin to make marriage documents. From the Han Dynasty to the Southern and Northern Dynasties, there was no wedding ceremony for the Crown Prince. However, from the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Eastern Jin Dynasty, due to social unrest, the Six Rites were ignored, and only worship (in-laws) was performed, and there was no wedding ceremony. It was not until the Sui and Tang Dynasties that the Crown Prince resumed the ceremony of welcoming relatives, and the emperor's marriage also followed the six rites. In the Song Dynasty, the dignitaries still followed the Six Rites, while the people thought that the Six Rites were complicated, so they only followed the Four Rites, omitting asking names and inviting Japan, which were attributed to Nacai and Zheng Na respectively. "Zhu" was even omitted by Najib and only three gifts were taken, which became the customization of the Ming Dynasty. In the Qing Dynasty, only two gifts were given, namely, receiving gifts and welcoming the bride, and one gift was given to the woman's home for shopping in the middle. According to Tongli in Qing Dynasty, marriage negotiation, accepting gifts, accepting coins, inviting dates and welcoming relatives are only implemented when Han officials have more than seven items. After the late Qing Dynasty, the Six Rites evolved in a complicated way and gradually declined. Also called a wedding reception. Wedding etiquette. The sixth of the six ceremonies. It is etiquette for the groom to marry the bride himself and go home. "The Book of Songs Daya Daming": "A big country has a son, a daughter has a sister, and a woman decides to meet Wei." The wedding began in the Zhou Dynasty, and the queen was also pro-Weishui when she got married. This ceremony is the beginning of the wedding. There are various forms of welcoming ceremony. In the Qing dynasty, the groom greeted him personally, dressed in red flowers, or rode a horse or took a sedan chair to her husband's house, and the best man praised her parents-in-law and relatives. The Yue family wrote an essay with double flowers and red flowers, sailed for three weeks, and then returned first. The bride was wrapped in brocade by her brother and others and carried on the sedan chair. After getting off the bus, several relatives of the bride's family accompanied her and said "farewell", and the groom greeted her at home. The wedding banquet, also known as "banquet", is a grand banquet held during the wedding to thank the guests. If the wedding has pushed the whole wedding activity to a climax, then the wedding reception is the climax. The etiquette of folk wedding banquet is complex and exquisite, from sitting to serving, from the composition of dishes to dining etiquette, even including the layout of seats and tables, the placement of dishes and so on. There is a set of rules everywhere. Whether the etiquette of the bride and groom at the wedding banquet is comprehensive and appropriate determines whether the wedding banquet and even the whole wedding can be successfully completed to a certain extent, and determines the guests' impression of the bride and groom. Whether holding a wedding reception at home or in a restaurant, when the guests begin to sit down, the bride and groom should stand outside the door and thank the guests for coming (for those who come regardless of the long journey, busy work or physical discomfort, for the elderly guests, you might as well say more) until the last guest takes a seat. According to the traditional thought of "orderly young and old", at the beginning of a wedding banquet, a "guest guide" (the person who is responsible for receiving guests and arranging seats) is responsible for guiding the guests to a certain order. The arrangement of seats is different, and the specific sitting method varies from place to place. The chairman of the board is usually the bride's elder, matchmaker, unit leader and other important figures. The two seats are usually the bride's peers, relatives and ordinary guests. Followed by colleagues, friends, neighbors, etc. It is best to arrange people of the same sex, similar age and familiar with each other to sit at the same table. In this way, there is a language in the hotel, which can enhance the atmosphere of the wedding banquet. After the guests sit down, they don't start right away, but have a "tea ceremony" first. Accompanied by her sister-in-law, the bride pours "happy tea" (that is, brown sugar water) for the seated guests, which is actually an approval. Sister-in-law introduced the guest's title to sister-in-law, and the bride then shouted "Please have tea". The guest stood up, picked up the teacup, drank it, put the prepared package in the cup, and the bride put away the red envelope and poured tea for another guest. After the tea ceremony, the feast officially began. The dishes at the banquet were originally for people to eat, but due to some etiquette, some dishes can only be seen but not eaten, which is called "watching dishes". "Kancai" is a kind of fried or pickled carp or silver carp. A piece of Zhang Xiaohong paper is attached to the tail of the fish, which is the symbol of Kancai. At folk wedding banquets, some dishes are taken home for guests to eat. This dish is called "dividing dishes". Dishes are generally fried and sweat-free vegetables, often made into blocks or spheres, which are convenient for sub-packaging and carrying. This practice is common in rural areas. Sina bride should not eat or drink. The bride and groom should take good care of the guests at the wedding reception, let relatives and friends eat, drink and leave happily. Don't just take care of yourself, eat and drink, or even get drunk on the spot. That would be rude. However, if you don't drink any wine or eat any food, you will be too restrained and nervous. This is also impolite. For the guest's toast, even if the amount of alcohol is limited, you should show a little, at least raise a glass to thank the guest and explain why you can't drink too much. When the wedding reception reaches a certain procedure (usually at the end), the bride and groom should propose a toast to each guest at each table in order. When toasting, you should fill the glass with your own hands and hold it for the guests, but don't force the guests to drink it all at once. After the guests put down their glasses, the bride and groom should say "thank you", fill the glasses for the guests, and then propose a toast to the next guest. After the wedding reception, when the guests leave, the bride and groom should stand at the door, shake hands with the guests and say "thank you for coming" and "please walk slowly".