The welcoming ceremony, commonly known as "welcoming the bride", is the sixth ritual in ancient marriage customs. Specifically, it refers to the ceremony where the groom goes to the bride's house to marry the bride before the wedding day. In some areas, a wedding procession may be dispatched to welcome the bride, and the groom waits at home.
1、 The origin of welcoming
The welcoming ceremony began in the Zhou Dynasty, and the queen also personally welcomed her at the Wei River when she got married. This ceremony has been passed down through generations and marks the beginning of weddings. There are various forms of welcoming ceremonies, which are recorded in many ancient books. Tang Duyou's "Tongdian: The 18th Emperor's Concubine" records: "During the Xia Dynasty, we welcomed each other in court, while during the Yin Dynasty, we welcomed each other in court. During the Zhou Dynasty, when men and women were allowed to marry, we welcomed each other in person at the household." The Book of Songs, Daya, Daming, records: "A great nation has sons, and the younger sister of the heavens. We welcomed each other in Wei during the reign of Emperor Wen Ding, who was known for his auspiciousness
Until the Qing Dynasty, the groom personally welcomed the bride, DRESSed in red and flowers, and rode on a horse or sedan chair to visit her in laws and relatives. The bride is carried by her elder brother into the sedan chair, and when the chair is lifted, several relatives of the bride's family accompany her, which is called "seeing off the bride".
2、 The process of getting married and welcoming the groom
1. Step 1: Prepare everything necessary for the wedding, such as wedding dresses, cameras, vehicles, wedding candies, red envelopes, etc.
2. Step 2: It is necessary to properly schedule the wedding procession, arrange the time, location, and parking spaces, and preferably provide each driver with a "waybill".
3. Step 3: Go to the bride's house to pick up the bride. As there may be bridesmaids blocking the door during the pick-up process, the groom needs to prepare red envelopes to clear the way.
4. Step 4: After successfully receiving the bride, the couple should return to the groom's home, complete the corresponding customs, and then set off together to the wedding venue.
3、 The Meaning of the Ancient Six Rites
1. Na Cai: The man's family invites a matchmaker to propose to the woman's family, and the woman's family agrees to negotiate. After the marriage, the man's family prepares gifts to propose.
2. Name inquiry: The man's family requests the matchmaker to inquire about the woman's name and birthdate, in order to proceed with the marriage.
3. Najib: After the man retrieves the woman's birth date and eight characters, he practices divination at the ancestral temple. After the auspicious omen was announced, the bride's family was notified and it was decided to enter into marriage.
4. Na Zheng: also known as Na Yin, refers to the act of a man delivering a dowry to a woman's home before marriage.
5. Request: The male family chooses a wedding date and prepares gifts to inform the female family, seeking their consent.
6. Welcome: The groom personally goes to the bride's house to marry.