Mongolian wedding customs

In the spring of March, men and women presented silk. The phoenix crown and the cape are decorated, and the red candles shine high. Hold your hand and grow old with you. The obscurity of group marriage, the cruelty of buying and selling marriage, and the humanization of free marriage... reflect the continuous progress of civilization and reveal the changing history of marriage. Marriage was first called "faint cause", and the original wedding was very simple. With the progress of human civilization and the development of politics and economy, weddings have gradually become an important etiquette in people's lives. After thousands of years of development and inheritance, wedding customs have been rooted in Chinese culture as a unique cultural phenomenon.

The marriage customs of various ethnic minorities in my country are colorful and can best represent the cultural characteristics of their respective ethnic groups. Mongolian marriage customs can be said to be an encyclopedia, which comprehensively reflects the Mongolian history, folk customs, society, beliefs, clothing, food, housing, transportation, etc., and is a precious cultural heritage. Let us appreciate this picture of national marriage customs with rich cultural heritage, and protect and inherit the ancient national marriage customs culture.

1. Introduction to Mongolian marriage customs Mongolian marriage is monogamy, and there is the custom of not marrying with the same surname. In the past, marriages were mostly arranged by parents, and betrothal gifts and dowries were generally given. Before liberation, princes, aristocrats, shepherds, and landlords also practiced polygamy. In some areas, there are also customs of brothers inheriting brothers, soliciting marriages, and nominal couples and sisters marrying two brothers together. Mongolian families generally consist of a couple and unmarried children. After the son gets married, he usually sets up a separate yurt and lives near his parents 'yurt to travel together on the "Aotel" nomadic journey). However, in rural areas, semi-agricultural and semi-pastoral areas, there are also large families with several generations living in the same room. In terms of property inheritance, in the past, aristocrats generally inherited from the eldest son, while civilians inherited more from the youngest son, because the eldest son was the first to be separated from the division of family, leaving the youngest son to inherit the "fire stove". In the Alxa area, unmarried daughters, nephews and sons-in-law, as well as monks, can inherit property.

Mongolian weddings all go through more complicated procedures such as matchmaker matchmaking, blind date, engagement, betrothal ceremony, wedding banquet, wedding ceremony, ceremony to meet aunt, and marriage holding. Due to the vast distribution of the Mongolian people, the forms of marriage customs vary from place to place, but they are all very solemn and lively. When picking up the bride in the eastern region, the bride rides in a sedan, sings to each other at the gate, and delivers eulogics and greetings at the entrance of the wedding room. What is even more exciting is to snatch the groom's hat when sending off the bride guests to test the resourcefulness, courage and speed of both parties 'riding. This not only retains traditional customs, but also expresses the characteristics of rural areas. The bride rides a horse when picking up the bride in the western pastoral area, and the entire wedding ceremony is full of pastoral characteristics. Among weddings in the western pastoral areas, the most lively and relatively complete preservation of traditional customs is the Ordos wedding.

2. Mongolian marriage customs process marriage customs: Mongolian people generally start talking about marriage in the golden autumn of August. The young man's parents entrusted them to trust their relatives, and chose a good day to take their son to the house of the girl they were visiting. If the girl and her parents fell in love with the young man, they would accept the hada and a plate of cakes and food, and the matter was settled. Winter is a good day to hold a wedding. After both parties choose a day, the groom's family will go to the girl's house to pick up the bride in the evening. By now, the wedding has begun. Various wedding programs with strong national style and interesting have been staged continuously until the east turns white; Only then did the new team mount the horse and head to the groom's house with the team who sent off the bride. The procession stopped when it was not far from the groom's house. After arriving home, the procession returned home with the groom's parents and relatives to welcome him for the second time. After the mother-in-law lifts the veil for the daughter-in-law, the bride and groom must kowtow and toast to their parents, wedding partners, and relatives. Everyone will also excitedly sing toast songs and dance, and joy will ripple on the grassland.

Beating: Before a young man and woman is engaged, the man must ask the woman for marriage. Before the founding of New China, it was usually the man's parents or entrusted matchmaker to go to the woman's house to seek marriage. If the woman's family agreed, the marriage could be engaged. According to the traditional Mongolian marriage customs, the man must ask the woman's family for marriage many times before he can get the promise from the woman's family. The volume of "The Secret History of Mongolia" records that Yesu should take Atuer and his son Temuzhen (Genghis Khan) to De Xue Chan's house to seek marriage. De Xue Chan said: "Ask a few more times and you will grant it, and you will be respected; ask a few more times and you will grant it, and you will be looked down upon by others." Later, a Mongolian proverb came into being: "Ask more, you will be expensive; ask less, you will be cheap." After an agreement is reached on seeking a marriage, the man will bring hada, milk wine and sheep five forks or whole sheep to the woman's house to "make a decision". The woman's family invited relatives and friends to drink with the guests to express her formal engagement.

Betrothal gift: A gift given by the man's family to the woman's family after a young man and woman is engaged. It is also called a betrothal gift. The amount of the betrothal gift depends on the financial situation of the husband's family. In agricultural areas, gold and silver jewelry, cabinets, and clothing are often used as betrothal gifts; in pastoral areas, livestock such as cattle, horses, and sheep are often used as betrothal gifts. Herdsmen regard "nine" as an auspicious number, and the betrothal gifts start from "nine". From "19" to "99", the maximum number of which cannot exceed eighty one, and "99" means longevity. If a poor herdsman does not have a betrothal gift of nine livestock, he can also choose an odd number less than nine and use three, five, or seven livestock as the betrothal gift, but he must not choose a spouse.

Dowry: The wedding gift given by the daughter's family to accompany her daughter. The Mongolian people are very particular about dowry. As much dowry as the man sends, the woman must send the corresponding amount of dowry. Usually it is the woman who dowries more than the man gives to the woman's family. Therefore, there is a Mongolian saying: "If you can afford to marry a daughter-in-law, you cannot afford to hire a girl."

Zeauspicious day: One of the Mongolian wedding customs. Also known as choosing a happy day. Before liberation, after the two families were engaged, the first thing they had to do was ask the lama to divination, choose an auspicious day, and determine the wedding date. After the auspicious day was set, the man's family sent matchmakers and relatives and friends to bring gifts such as hada, wine, candies, etc. to the woman's family to discuss marriage matters with her parents. After the negotiation, the two families began to prepare for the marriage. Generally, we clean the wedding room, build a new yurt, slaughter cattle and sheep, prepare betrothal gifts, dowry and other wedding supplies, and notify relatives and friends of both parties to come and celebrate.

Seeking a name and asking for geng: One of the procedures for Mongolian people to get married. Asking for the bride's name is also known as asking for a seal. It's a fun teasing activity. On the night when the wedding person stays at the woman's house, he has to hold a five-fork or whole sheep banquet in the bride's boudoir, which is also called a banquet for seeking fame. The groom and the bride, the bride and her brothers and sisters, all of the same generation, attended the banquet. At the banquet, everyone teased the groom, forcing him to kneel or half-kneel, asking for the bride's nickname or name. The bride is shy and silent, or deliberately does not answer. The bride's sister-in-law and sisters also did not answer, deliberately stalling for time. At this time, the man's benefactor and the woman's sister-in-law answered each other and sang the opposite song. The banquet did not end until the woman said her true baby name. Seeking names and asking for geng is actually an intelligence competition to express the wisdom and wisdom of Mongolian young men and women.

Wedding: In the past, Mongolian weddings were very grand, and the traditional wedding custom of a man staying at a woman's house for a night and getting married was retained. Marriage usually takes place the day before the wedding day. In a joyful atmosphere, the groom put on a gorgeous Mongolian robe, tied with ribbons at his waist, wore a domed red tasseled hat, high leather boots, and wore a bow and arrow. The best man also wears holiday costumes. They rode on horses together, carried floats and gifts, and went to the woman's house to get married. When the married person arrives at the woman's house, he first walks around the yurt and presents a "door-touching sheep" and other gifts to the woman's house. Then, the groom and best man held hada and wine, toasted to the bride's parents and eldest relatives one by one, and knelt down. After the ceremony, the married person entered the banquet for dinner. In the evening, the sheep were killed with five forks, and the skin and internal organs were removed. The vertebra was cut off from the fourth rib counted from the waist nest to the front. The ribs were divided into two parts. The ribs in the back part were separated and flattened and supported with wooden sticks. Remove the legs and coccyxes, leaving the tail into a five-forked shape. The front part was separated with a knife. Each bone had meat on it, but you could not use a knife to chop the bone. Each bone was pressed under the five forks) Banquet. A traditional ceremony of seeking fame and age was held. The next morning, when the wedding person set out, the bride was carried by her uncle or uncle to the float. The groom must ride a horse three times around the float where the bride is riding. Then, the wedding person and the person who saw off set off together.

Diao hat: Also known as grabbing a hat. In the past, when the Mongolian people were getting married, the wedding person and the party who saw the wedding party galloped and chased each other, wanting to be the first to get home and become the winner. To this end, the two sides will hold a hat competition on the way. It is usually the person who sends off the bride tries every means to snatch the bride's hat, pick it on the whip, or throw it on the ground, and force the groom to get off the horse to pick it up, so as to affect his speed. Married people cover each other without letting the giver snatch the hat. Along the way, you chased each other and played with each other, with a strong flavor of grassland life.

Wedding: The Mongolian people attach great importance to wedding ceremonies. Although the regions and forms differ, they are all very solemn and lively. The marriage custom in general pastoral areas is: After getting married and returning to the man's home, the bride and groom will not leave the carriage and go around the yurt three times first. Then, the bridegroom and bride both passed through two piles of fire to receive the dust washed by the Fire God. It expresses the purity of love and the prosperity of new life. After entering the yurt, the bride and groom first worshipped Buddha and offered sacrifices to the stove, and then visited their parents and relatives. After the ceremony, the hair combs the bride's hair. After dressing and washing up, wait for the start of the wedding banquet.

Wedding banquets are usually decorated with sheep backs. Sheep backs are one of the precious Mongolian delicacies. The whole sheep is unloaded into seven large pieces without chest forks), put them in the pot, add cold water, and after the pot is boiled, add a small amount of salt. After cooking, place them on a large plate into a sheep's crawling posture, and you can serve the table.) Or whole sheep mat, called Xiushi or Buhele in Mongolian, a traditional food used by the Mongolian to entertain distinguished guests, also known as whole sheep mat), all kinds of dairy foods and candies are available. At the wedding banquet, the groom carried a silver pot and the bride held a silver bowl to present hada and wine to elders, relatives and friends. The young men held high the silver cups and drank heartily; the girls sang loudly with the horse-head fiddle. Wedding banquets often last for two or three days before relatives and friends leave one after another. The woman who sent off the bride must also leave someone to stay with the bride for one to three days. Sometimes, the bride's mother also sends her off and stays for more than ten days. When parting, the mother and daughter hugged and cried bitterly to express their reluctance.

Fire worship: An important ceremony in Mongolian weddings. Although the Mongolian people in different places have different forms of worship to fire. But they are all indispensable at weddings. After the bride marries the groom's house, she must first hold a fire worship ceremony. The groom and the bride pass through the two piles of strong fires and receive the baptism of the fire, making their love more pure and unwavering, living a happy and happy life, and growing old together forever. The Duerbert Mongolian fire worship ceremony is unique. When the bride enters her in-law's house, there is a strong fire in the courtyard. The groom and bride must sacrifice milk and wine into the fire together, kneel down and kowtow. Standing on the side, a master of ceremonies recited "Praise to Fire": the flint discovered by the Holy Lord Genghis Khan, and the fire preserved by the mother of Heerun, were sacrificed with white hada and milk wine. The fire of the nation has been from ancient times to the present. Please pray for the bride and groom! Shenhuo is a witness to your marriage! Ask the bride and groom to kowtow! The Buddha light will carry on your family line.

3. Characteristics of Mongolian marriage customs There are many gifts for betrothal marriages: If a Mongolian young man likes a girl, before the engagement, he must ask the matchmaker to bring white sugar, tea, glue and other items that symbolize harmony, sweetness, and vitality. Wrap them in a white towel and go to matchmaking. If the woman accepts them, the marriage can proceed. Then the man's parents and himself would propose with gifts such as hada, milk wine, and sugar bars. It would usually take several times to get engaged. After the woman accepts the wedding, the man will also send wine to the woman three times. If the woman accepts and drinks all three times, the marriage will be confirmed. When the wedding time is approaching, the man has to send a gift to the woman, usually boiling a whole sheep, wine, tea, and hada. The woman warmly welcomed the giver, with both sides proposing a toast, chanting auspicious sentences, and singing to celebrate.

The groom is subjected to the test of breaking a sheep's neck: After the Ordos Mongolian groom and the wedding team arrive at the bride's house, they are always warmly received by the woman's house as guests. Everyone eats, drinks, sings and dances together, which is so lively. At this time, the man's eulogist will quietly leave the banquet and lead the groom to the bride's room. After they sat down in the guest seat, the accompanying ladies would bring up a cooked sheep's neck to entertain the groom and ask the groom to break the sheep's neck from the middle to test the groom's strength. In order to tease the groom, the accompanying wives had already cleverly inserted a red willow stick or an iron bar into the bone marrow channel of the sheep's neck. If the groom had been given advice in advance, he would have seen through the mystery, taken out a willow stick or iron bar, and easily broke the sheep's neck. Some grooms didn't know the secret, so they worked hard and became sweating profusely, like a dog biting a turtle, anxious and ashamed. The accompanying wives took the opportunity to make fun of the groom with very spicy, mean, but not malicious language.

Killing chickens and divination: The wedding day is selected by the man to kill chickens and divination. On the same day, the girl's parents and the introducer sent the girl to the groom's house. The groom's house prepares wine and meat for reception. After arriving, the bride and the groom will hold a knife and kill a chicken to see how good or bad the chicken liver pattern shows. If it is unlucky, the bride and groom will each kill another chicken until the chicken liver appears with auspicious elephant patterns. Then, the bride and groom held a drinking ceremony. Each person placed a bowl of wine in front of him, wiped the edge of the bowl with butter, and took a sip first, and then drank a cup of wine. The bride and groom finished drinking wine and also jointly hosted the introducer and all the guests. Then the guests from both sides, as well as relatives and friends who came to congratulate them, continued to drink, sing and dance until all night long.