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| Folk Customs
- She Nationality > The "Phoenix" Bride |
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The
groom and his seven friends drink Eight Immortals Wine
after the wedding ceremony.
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The kowtowing part of the ceremony is particularly
interesting. The bridegroom, dressed like a Qing-dynasty official
(Panhu was in fact promoted to the rank of marquis because of
his merit in defending the country), first kowtows to heaven
and earth, then the ancestors, While he is busy kowtowing, the
bride stands aside motionless, as if all this has nothing to
do with her. After this part of the rite, the bride is escorted
to the nuptial chamber while the bridegroom stays and drinks
with the visitors. Together with seven young bachelors, chosen
especially for their auspicious horoscopes, the bridegroom then
drinks Eight Immortals' Wine (as these eight young men are known
as the Eight Immortals).
One needs to be a good drinker to attend a She wedding, as the
wedding feast lasts for three days and nights on end without
a wink of sleep. This style of wedding is the result of a long
tradition. Being a "phoenix", the bride must of course be very
careful about her choice of husband. In earlier days, the newlyweds
did not sleep together for three years. This was because the
"phoenix" needed adequate time to learn more about her husband.
If she was not happy with him, she could call off the marriage
and go back to her parents. Today, the wedding rituals have
become much simpler, and the three years have been shortened
to three days, during which time the bridegroom is not allowed
to enter the nuptial chamber but drinks outside, while the bride
waits for him. |
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