The six rituals of ancient weddings refer to accepting gifts, asking for names, offering blessings, offering sacrifices, inviting dates, and welcoming guests. Natsumi is equivalent to modern marriage proposal; Asking for names refers to inquiring about the birthdays of both men and women; Najib calculates whether a man and a woman are suitable based on their names and birthdates; Nativity is when the man delivers the prepared dowry to the woman's home; Please inform the groom's family of the chosen auspicious wedding day and obtain the bride's consent; Qinying refers to the groom personally marrying the bride on the day of their wedding.
The Six Rites of Ancient 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.