Ming Dynasty social marriage forms

Author: Wang Xiaoqing
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-06-01
Features: The inheritance of the characteristics of Southern Song wedding customs in Yuan Dynasty marriage rituals is very obvious, especially Zhu Xi's Family Rituals became a direct copy of The Wedding Rituals of the Zhiyuan Era, with a profound and significant influence. The Northern and Southern Song dynasties were the period of social transformation in the medieval era, where marriage rituals followed the characteristics of the late Tang and Five Dynasties—highly variable and not unified—leading to reforms and adaptations, simplifying and streamlining them. The marriage customs of the Yuan Dynasty were a summary of this trend. Marriage rituals are an important part of social customs. Ritual behavior does not always align with textbook doctrines. The marriage system revised and formulated by Zhu Xi and officially recognized by the Yuan Dynasty government could only be the basic principles for regulating the marriage relationships of Yuan people, without a mandatory, binding implication. The full implementation of the "Six Rites" and the extent to which the "Rites of the Wedding" were carried out varied among secular marriage families, depending on the economic conditions of the couple. Therefore, the Zheng family in the Jiangnan region of the Yuan Dynasty clearly felt that "marriage is the foundation of human society, and the rituals of welcoming the bride, drinking the wedding wine, presenting the goose, and handing over the ceremonial scarf are often disregarded by many." It is evident that in the Jiangnan region within the Southern Song territory, there was no unified standard for marriage rituals, and weddings were in a state of constant selection and change. Because the Yuan Dynasty had a vast territory, significant geographical differences between the north and south, and a complex ethnic composition, the inconsistency of weddings was natural. Even in areas densely populated by Han people, marriage customs were quite different. For example, the wedding customs in the capital Dadu (Beijing) and Suzhou/Hangzhou differed: "In the capital, officials and commoners who were to marry had their daughters bathe in the family hall the day before the wedding. The groom's family paid for all the bathing expenses, and those who were assigned duties were managed by the hall. The groom's family also prepared items like windproof cups, and the wedding took place at dawn." (Analysis of Mongol marriage customs to follow.) Mongol marriage rituals in the Yuan Dynasty were an important component of the dynasty's marriage customs, exhibiting both typical characteristics of a nomadic grassland society and many similarities with Han marriage practices. The nomadic lifestyle of "without city walls or permanent dwellings, following water and grass wherever they go," along with the production and living methods of "herding and hunting, wearing leather and wool, and eating meat and milk," formed the material foundation for Mongol marriage customs. After occupying the Central Plains, the Mongols still valued the "old and young still engaging in archery and hunting, no longer knowing agriculture; shooting eagles in the north of Yinshan, drinking horses by the Great Wall; camels and sheep as delicacies, and sable fur as clothing." The nomadic lifestyle had not fundamentally changed. Based on this, their marriage customs remained the same. When Mongols entered into marriage, the groom considered the family's wealth, while the bride's family valued her appearance. "In general, when marrying, the groom looks at the family's wealth, and the bride's family looks at her appearance." When parents arrange a marriage for their son, they must repeatedly plead with the bride's parents to show sincerity and respect. "The more times they ask, the more important it is; the fewer times they ask, the less important it is." If the bride's family accepts the groom's proposal, the heads of both families drink the "buxunchaire" wine together. In Mongolian, the "buxunchaire" wine is prepared by the bride's family. It is also common for matchmakers to arrange marriages for children. In Mongolian, a matchmaker is called a "salcag." "Connecting through matchmakers and clans, truly forming kinship" is the marriage principle the Mongols followed. The marrying couple called each other "hada" and formed a fixed marital relationship, adhering to the principle of "the closer, the closer." For example, Genghis Khan and Wang Khan of the Kerait people had a "