The walking marriage tribe is the Mosuo tribe. The Mosuo people have a unique marriage system called "Se Se", which means walking around, and this is called walking marriage. According to the tradition of the Mosuo people, men and women rarely spend time alone during the day, and only express their feelings to their crush through singing and dancing at gatherings. If a man falls in love with a woman, he will make an appointment during the day and go on a date at her house in the middle of the night before leaving during the day.
The stage of walking marriage
Walking marriages are divided into three stages: secret visits, public visits, and cohabitation.
1. Undercover investigation
During the day, after the young man expressed his love for the girl he fell in love with, the girl agreed and they agreed on a secret code. At night, the young man would take advantage of the darkness to go on a date at the girl's house. When going on a date, the young man doesn't need to bring any gifts, just a pack of pine nuts and a hat. The pine nuts are meant to please the girl's dog, and the hat is meant to be hung outside the window during the date. Later people will know that someone is already in the house when they see the hat. Before the rooster crows at dawn, the young man needs to leave, which is called undercover investigation.
2. Ming Visit
After a period of undercover investigation, the relationship between the man and the woman becomes firm, with a solemn vow and a stable bond, they will enter the stage of open investigation. That is to say, the young man doesn't necessarily have to leave before dawn when he comes at night, he can sleep until dawn before leaving. During the public visit stage, the young man can openly enter and exit the woman's home, and if the woman's family approves, there is no longer a need to sneak around. During the visitation stage, the young man does not need to stay at the woman's home, nor is he responsible for her. If the two have the crystallization of love and the child lives with the mother, the man can buy some clothes for the child during Chinese New Year and holidays.
3. Living together
The relationship between men and women in the Mosuo ethnic group is stable, and with the crystallization of love, they can enter a state of cohabitation. In this state, both men and women are not allowed to date others anymore, but must treat each other as their only significant other. Although there is no legal regulation for walking marriages among the Mosuo people, they have their own code of conduct. They have the freedom to love and can change their partners during the stage of walking marriage, but they do not engage in promiscuous marriages and do not date multiple people at the same time. If the relationship breaks down, they will walk into a new partner after breaking up the relationship.