Chinanews client, Beijing, August 25th (Reporter Shangguanyun) The annual Qixi Festival is here, how did you spend it? It might be a good choice to spend a cultural festival.
Qixi Festival is one of the traditional Chinese festivals, and it is also synonymous with romance nowadays. It is called "Chinese Valentine's Day". On the evening of the 25th, a theme event called "Sentimental Siheyuan" was held at the Capital Museum. The theme of "love" in the traditional Siheyuan culture was to tell many interesting wedding customs.
The ancient woman "does not go out of the door, and the second door does not move"?
In fact, Qixi Festival is also called "Qiao Qiao Festival" or "Girl's Day", etc. There is no "Valentine's Day" connotation in ancient times.
The "Changhua Gate" (replica) displayed in the Capital Museum. Shangguan Yunshe
"Girls used to be female celebrities, hoping to be smart. Later, the legend of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl appeared on Qixi Festival, but it really had nothing to do with love in ancient times." Cai Qiang, a Chinese and English commentator of the Capital Museum, was interviewed by a reporter from Chinanews.com Shi said.
"But the girl in the past emphasized'the door can't come out, the second door doesn't move.' The second door refers to the hanging flower door of the courtyard." Cai Qiang said, according to the structure of the courtyard, after entering the door, walking inside is the owner's In the inner house, to enter the inner house, you must pass through the Chuhua Gate, "Look at the position of the vertical column, it looks like an inverted lotus flower bone, hence the name."
He said that even if there were familiar relatives and friends who could pass through the second door to the inner house, the girls sent the guests back to the second door.
What does "right to everybody" mean?
In the past, when talking about a girl’s marriage, one of the most frequently used words was "right to the door." The general explanation is that in the old days it meant that the social status and economic situation of both men and women were equal and suitable for marriage.
This can also be reflected in the residence. Cai Qiang said that "the family is right" does not actually refer to a specific component in the building, but it is basically similar in shape, style, size, including external decoration, which means that the situation of the two families may be similar. It may be more harmonious.
He gave an example, “For example, the gates of ordinary people’s houses are usually Ruyi gates, and Barbarian gates are often used by wealthy people. Another example is the gate piers of street gates. The gate piers of large households are made of white marble, and small households use bluestone with different materials. ."
The "Ruyi Gate" (replica) displayed in the Capital Museum. Shangguan Yunshe
The different colors of street doors sometimes also represent different statuses. For example, the homes of businessmen who do business, Cai Qiang said, often have black doors, and this color means "great wealth."
Why is there a "goose cage" in the offer?
In addition, according to the traditional Chinese etiquette in the past, marriages between men and women require "three media and six appointments", also known as "three books and six rituals."
"For example, at the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, it was more popular for the man to give the woman a betrothal gift including'Goose Cage Wine Sea'." Cai Qiang said that there was a "dating goose" in the wedding gift because the geese were very orderly when migrating and flying. I hope that the woman will be able to "grow up and be orderly" after she gets married.
Of course, wild geese are relatively rare, so they were later replaced by geese. He said: "As for the dowry of a girl, everything you have in your mother's house can be put in the dowry and sent to the man's house. One is that I hope that my husband-in-law's house will be as comfortable as my own home in the future; More and face."
Cai Qiang also mentioned a woman's dowry ornament, "It looks like a crab, with a homophonic meaning, representing a harmonious and happy life after marriage."
Some women's accessories displayed in the Capital Museum. Shangguan Yunshe
After a series of marriage customs processes are completed, they are not really over when they are "sent into the bridal chamber". Cai Qiang said that at this time there will be a "praise", which is now the emcee of ceremonies. While singing the praise, he throws happy fruits on the bed, including dates, peanuts, dumplings and so on.
"The dumplings must be cooked half-baked, and they will be fed to the bride by the bride's mother-in-law. A little boy is standing beside him, asking'whether it is to be born or not', and the bride must answer'birth', taking the meaning of the hope that the couple will have a precious child early." Tao. (Finish)