The Three Books and Six Rites are traditional Han marriage customs and rituals in ancient times. The "Three Books" refer to the documents used in the process of the "Six Rites", including the letter of appointment, the letter of ceremony, and the letter of welcome. The "Six Rites" refer to the entire process of marriage from proposal to completion. The "Six Rites" refer to the six ritual methods of accepting gifts, asking for names, offering blessings, offering sacrifices, requesting appointments, and welcoming relatives.
Three books
1. Letter of Appointment
The marriage invitation letter, also known as the marriage letter, is used when a man proposes to a woman. When a girl receives a letter of appointment, it means that both parties will become husband and wife.
2. Book of Rites
To list the types and quantities of wedding gifts, the longer the wedding ceremony, the more beautiful the girl's wedding will be. In ancient China, dowries and dowries were highly valued during marriage, as they symbolized family status and financial resources.
3. Welcome Book
The document used for welcoming the bride, which is used on the day of the wedding when picking her up and passing through the door, is a promise to the bride and her parents, and has the same meaning as the current marriage certificate.
the six ceremonies of betrothal and marriage
1. Na Cai
This is the first of the six wedding customs, equivalent to the modern proposal of marriage. If a boy wants to marry a girl, he needs to find a matchmaker to arrange the marriage and bring the wedding gift with his parents to the girl's house. The general acceptance ceremony varies depending on the region.
2. Ask Name
This refers to the birthdays of both the man and the woman. If the woman accepts the wedding ceremony, she agrees to the marriage. At this point, the matchmaker will inquire about the girl's name and date of birth, calculate whether the two are compatible, and predict their future marriage fortune.
3. Najib
After the man knows the woman's birthday, he will go to the temple to find someone to calculate it. If the result is auspicious, the man will prepare the relevant gifts and matters for the wedding.
4. Na Zheng
Najib and Natsumi are usually conducted at the same time, with Natsumi being the act of the groom delivering the prepared dowry to the bride's home. Recruitment is an important procedure in engagement and marriage. Generally, the betrothal gift for recruitment consists of monetary gifts and other items, depending on the man's economic conditions.
5. Please wait
Please inform the bride of the calculated wedding date and obtain her consent after the groom's family has chosen the auspicious date for marriage, which is also known as the present day in modern times. If the woman has no objections, then the wedding date between the two will be officially set.
6. Welcome personally
This is the last procedure of the six wedding rituals, on the day of the wedding, the bride needs to personally marry her beloved bride and express her respect for her. Moreover, people in the folk place great importance on welcoming a bride. Without this activity, the bride may feel undervalued.