Chapter 35: Rural Wedding Customs
Chapter 35: Rural Wedding Customs
The next morning, Guan Yongying, the new bride, finally got out of bed as the sun came up.
In this era, a rural bride’s preparation was simple: just combing her hair and changing into her wedding dress, unlike modern brides who have to wake up in the middle of the night to get dolled up for hours.
After washing up and changing into her red wedding dress, Guan Yongying took out twenty yuan and placed it on the stool by the dressing table, covering it with two towels. She then plopped down on the towels.
According to the customs of the time, when a sister got up from the stool, her younger brother would sit on it next. The money she left under the towels would then belong to him. The amount varied, but it was usually around ten to twenty yuan. By leaving twenty yuan, Guan Yongying showed how much she loved her brother.
The towels or any other items used to cover the money would also be given to the brother, regardless of what they were.
The women who helped the bride comb her hair and escorted her out had to be those with "good fortune." In rural areas, "good fortune" meant that both the woman’s parents and her in-laws were still alive, the couple was harmonious, and their first child was a son.
Once Guan Yongying finished combing her hair, her mother brought her a bowl of rice with some vegetables and a chicken leg on top.
The chicken leg was a must-have. Traditionally, children in the family ate the chicken legs, and the bride would take a bite of the chicken leg before her wedding as a symbolic way of saying goodbye to her role as a child. No matter how old a woman was, as long as she remained unmarried and lived with her parents, she was still considered their child.
"Ying, try to eat as much as you can. Once you get to the groom’s house, you’ll be too busy to have time to eat, and you’ll be hungry," Guan’s mother said, her eyes reddening. This was her first time sending a daughter off to marriage, and the thought of her obedient and understanding daughter becoming someone else’s from that day forward made her heart ache.
Guan Yongying was also in pain, with a thousand words she wanted to say to her mother, but when she tried to speak, nothing came out. She just choked back a sob and took the bowl of rice her mother had brought her.
However, as soon as she put a bite of rice in her mouth, the tears started flowing uncontrollably.
"Mom..."
"Ying..."
Guan’s mother had been holding back her tears, but seeing her daughter’s distress, she couldn’t hold back any longer, and the tears flowed like a broken dam.
...
According to the wedding customs of Shuangwang, the bride had to be welcomed into the groom’s home before noon. If this time was exceeded, it was considered inauspicious.
To ensure this, if the bride lived far away, it was common for the groom’s family to pick her up in the middle of the night. For brides from different cities or provinces, they would arrive in the groom’s city a day in advance to avoid missing this time.
Nayie Village and Shenshuitian Village were not far apart, and it took less than half an hour to walk between them. Therefore, leaving a bit later was fine, and they would still make it in time for the auspicious hour.
Of course, the exact time for the bride to leave was already determined by a fortune-teller, and they would set out precisely when the auspicious hour arrived.
Around eight or nine in the morning, the wedding feast began at the bride’s home.
...
In the room, after crying for a while, Guan Yongying and her mother’s emotions finally calmed down.
Guan’s mother consoled her, "Ying, the auspicious hour is almost here. You should try to eat something, or you’ll be hungry later."
Guan Yongying shook her head. "Mom, I can’t eat. I have no appetite."
Guan’s mother handed the bowl and chopsticks to her daughter again. "Even if you don’t feel like eating, you should still have something. Once you get to the groom’s house, you won’t have time to eat. You’ll be busy with all sorts of tasks, and you’ll only get to eat after all the guests have left. If you don’t eat now, your stomach will suffer later."
Guanyong Ying reluctantly took the bowl and chopsticks. "Alright, I'll eat a bit."
After forcing herself to finish half a bowl of rice and most of a chicken leg, her younger brother, Guanyong Song, walked in and said, "Sis, it's time. You need to go and offer incense to the ancestors."
Guanyong Ying responded and finally stood up.
Guanyong Song then sat down, and once his sister had left, he got up, removed the towel, and saw two large bills. He felt a mix of joy and sadness. His sister, who had grown up with him, was about to marry, and as a brother, he was incredibly reluctant to let her go.
But marriage was a natural part of life, and this day would come eventually...
...
In modern times, the groom would go to the bride's home to pick her up. However, in this era, the groom did not go to the bride's home. Instead, the bride was escorted to a specific location by her family, and then the groom and his party would come to pick her up.
Therefore, when offering incense to the ancestors, only the bride was present, not the groom.
Firecrackers were set off during the ancestral offering.
After the offering, Guanyong Ying knelt before her parents, and it was time to truly leave her family home. At this moment, she couldn't hold back her tears, and her parents were also in tears. Her younger siblings, who were already reluctant to see their sister go, cried uncontrollably. The entire family was in tears!
The atmosphere was so emotional that some of the relatives also began to cry.
Seeing the overly sad atmosphere, Deng Shirong spoke up to comfort everyone. "Alright, today is a day of joy for Yong Ying. We should all be happy. Besides, she's not moving far. To get to Shuangwang Market, you have to pass through Yecn Village, so you can see her every market day. There's no need to be so sad."
Other relatives also tried to console them, saying, "That's right. She's staying close by, so you can visit her anytime. It's much better than those who marry far away and can only see each other a few times a year."
With the comfort of the matchmaker and the relatives, the crying gradually subsided. The auspicious time had arrived, and the bride, accompanied by the matchmaker and her escorts, left the house.
According to local customs, the bride could not set off firecrackers when leaving her home, and her aunt could not be one of the escorts, as "aunt" and "lonely" sounded the same, which was considered an omen.
In this era, unlike the pre-republic days when the bride could be carried in a sedan chair, or modern times when she could ride in a car, most brides walked to their destination. Only a few could ride a bicycle.
From Shenshuitian to Yecn, they had to pass through Jimapo, Shanying, and Boluogen. There was a small river between Shanying and Boluogen. When Guanyong Ying and her party reached the river, they stopped.
In modern times, the groom would have to give a certain amount of red envelopes to pick up the bride from her home. Even though the groom didn't go to the bride's home in this era, the custom of giving red envelopes still applied. The bride would wait along the way for the groom to come and pick her up, and red envelopes were still expected.
Since no one knew where the bride would stop, the groom's party had sent people out early to wait. When they saw the bride stop by the river, they quickly returned to inform the groom.
Thus, the groom, with red envelopes in hand, and accompanied by his party, went to pick up the bride.
Two chapters updated!
(End of Chapter)
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