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Dai Marriage
Dai Marriage
- 迎亲
In every Dai wedding, the first thing they would do is 迎亲.
In the morning of a wedding day, the relatives and friends of the man's family would come to the woman's house. On their way, they would bang elephant drums and cymbals and set off firecrackers and bird crickets along the way to expel the demons.
In front of the door of the bride's house, a flower blanket would be laid on the ground, and a small table would be placed on it. Flowers and wine are placed on the table.
The bride and groom are dressed in beautiful costumes and are sitting side by side on the flower blanket to hear the reading of a monk.
After the reading, the monk would give the bride and groom his blessing.
Next, the groom has to go into the bride's house, which would require him to accomplish several tasks.
- first, in order to open the door, the groom needs to set off firecrackers and pay money.
- After he successfully opens the door, he will be blocked by the women, and he has to pay a gift to go upstairs.
- After going to the upstairs, the groom has to find the hidden bride in her room. The groom has to pay gifts and toasts, begging the bride's family. Several runs later, the bride would show up, and 迎亲 would be accomplished. the bride was sent out. This series of games is the test for the groom to see whether he is willing to sacrifice for his wife.
A Dai bride wearing her wedding dress
A painting that depicts the Dai wedding.
2. The wedding
- After the phase of 迎亲, it would be the wedding ceremony.
The wedding ceremony is usually held in the bride's house. The most unique part of a Dai wedding ceremony is the tie-line ceremony. Dai people call this ceremony as "Shu Huan," which means "tie the soul" in Chinese.
The purpose of "Shu Huan" is to tie the soul of the bride with the soul of the groom.
During the ceremony, a small table would be placed in the hall, with two cone-shaped hats made of banana leaves on it. Under the table, two cooked male and female chicken would be placed. On the table, people would put gifts for the groom, such as clothes, tube skirts, silver belts or bracelets.
In addition, sticky rice, brown sugar, plantain, salt, and white thread would be placed on the table as things that would be used i the ceremony.
The tie-up ceremony begin as the groom and the bride kneel side by side in front of the wedding table to accept the blessings of the elderly and congratulations from the guests.
After hearing people's congratulations, the bride and groom would pull a stick of glutinous rice from the table, dip it in the wine, salt, and white thread. The bride and the groom have to dip the rice three times, and then put the rice ball on the table. The rice would serve as the offering for gods.
Then, the wedding couple would pick up a long white line on the table, someone would go around the with the white thread, from left to right, around the shoulders of the bride and groom, and put the two ends of the line on the wedding table, indicating that the "souls" of the two people have been tied Together, and they never need to be separated.
Next, the old people would pick up the white thread and tie it on the wrists of the bride and groom respectively, wishing the newlyweds happiness and auspiciousness.
- After the tie-up ceremony is over, the feast would begin.
The dishes on the table are mostly flavorful Dai food, and one of them the boiled blood 生血加料血炖, which symbolize the auspiciousness of marriage. During the feast.
The bride and groom would constantly toast their guests, and the guests will also ask them a variety of questions. From time to time, everyone laughs and the atmosphere is warm and active. .
- During the Dai wedding, people called ZanHa 赞哈 would also come.
ZanHa are the Dai performers, who differentiate from normal wedding singers, they only perform traditional Dai songs and dances.
After Zanha's performance, the guests at the wedding would dance with the bride and groom. In the sound of cymbals and elephant drums, people gather to dance in the courtyard all day long.
During the Tie-up ceremony, stuffs like banana leaves hats, gifts for the groom and flowers would be placed on the table
A Dai elder is helping the bride to tie the white thread on her wrist.
The tie-up ceremony
生血加料血炖, a Dai dish symboling the happiness of marriage.
Dai ZanHa are performing.
3. After the marriage
After marriage, the groom usually stays in the bride's house for three years before he can bring his wife back to the man's house.
After three years in the groom's house, he can return to the bride's house. It was not until the couple build their own house, which shows they are economically independent, the couple could leave their parents to set up their own small family.
In the case of divorce, the one who proposes the divorce would hand each other a pair of wax bars or a piece of white cloth, and they would cut the.
If one of the husband or wife dies, no matter how old they are, a divorce ceremony must be held: the living person would be tied to the coffin with a cotton thread, and an elderly man would cut the line with a knife, symbolizing the relationship between the living and the dead is broken.
The white thread symbolizing the unbroken relationship between husband and wife.
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