中英雙語話中國民風民俗 第3期:婚禮

Since ancient times, marriage has been regarded as most blessed events in the life of a Chinese passing the imperial examination and the birth of one's children. one of the three The other firvo are Marriage was solemnized with lots of interesting customs performed to this day.

從古至今，婚禮一直被中國人認爲是人生三大快事之一。另外兩個分別是金榜題名和生子。爲了使婚禮看起來莊嚴正式，中國人有很多沿用至今的有意思的風俗習慣，有些至今仍在沿用。

It was very important to follow a basic principle of the "Three Letters and Six Etiquettes" in the past. Even now some customs are still followed.

遵循“三書六禮”的基本原則在過去是非常重要的。即使在現在過去的一些習俗仍在沿用，當然有時候會根據實際情況做一些變動。

Three Letters

三書

The "Three Letters" include the Betrothal letter, Gift Letter and Wedding Betrothal Letter is the formal document of the engagement，a must in a marriage. Next is the Gift Letter,which would be given to the identified girl's in the letter will be a list of the types and quantity of gifts designated for the wedding. Once both parties accept the marriage，the Wedding Letter is prepared and presented to the bride's family on the day of the wedding and is a document that confirmed and commemorated the formal acceptance of the bride into the bridegroom's family, with some adaptations of course.

“三書”包括聘書、禮書和迎書。聘書是訂婚的重要文書，是結婚必需的。禮書是給女方家的，其中應列出婚禮所需的禮物的種類和數量。一旦雙方同意結婚，男方要準備迎書在結婚當日呈給女方家人，迎書的目的是確認男方已經正式將新娘接納爲家庭的一員。

Six Etiquettes

六禮

Proposal: If an unmarried boy's parents identify a girl as their future daughter-in-law, they will then locate a matchmaker. The matchmaker will formally present his or her client's request to the identified girl's parents.

納彩：未婚男方的父母確定未來兒媳的人選之後，就會請來媒人牽線。媒人會正式向女方家長提出男方的請求。

Birthday matching: If the potential bride's parents do not object to the marriage, the matchmaker will then ask for the girl's birthday and birth-hour to assure the compatibility of the potential bride and bridegroom. If the couple's birthdays and birth-hours do not conflict according to astrology，the marriage will continue onto the next stage. If there is any sign of astrological conflict, which meant the marriage will bring disasters upon both families，the proposed marriage is immediately quashed.

問名：如果女方父母不反對這門親事，媒人就會要求他們提供女孩的生辰八字，看看男孩和女孩是否相合。如果相合，婚禮會進人下個階段。如果相沖，兩人的結合會給家庭帶來災難，求婚會立刻終止。

Presenting betrothal gifts: Once both birthdays matched，the bridegroom's family will then arrange for the matchmaker to present betrothal gifts，including the betrothal letter, to the bride's family.

納吉：一旦雙方的生辰相合，男方會安排媒人給女方送去聘禮，其中包括聘書。

Presenting wedding gifts: After the betrothal letter and betrothal gifts are accepted，the bridegroom's family will later formally send wedding gifts to the bride's family. Usually，gifts may include tea，lotus seeds, longan，red beans，green beans，red dates，oranges，pomegranate，and other delicacies，depending on local customs and family wealth.

納徵：女方接受了聘書和聘禮後，男方會正式給女方送去“大禮”，其中通常會包括茶葉、蓮子、龍眼、瓜子、紅豆、綠豆、紅棗、橘子、石榴和其他一些物品。由於各地習慣不同和家庭貧富不等，聘禮的內容和數量會有一定差異。

Picking a wedding date: An astrologist or astrology book will be consulted to select an auspicious date to hold the wedding ceremony.

請期：男方和女方會徵求方士的意見或者查閱相關典籍來確定婚禮舉行的好日子。

Wedding ceremony: Before the wedding，a“good luck woman" who has a nice family will arrange the bridal bed and scatter symbolic fruits on the bed. Nobody is allowed to touch the bed until the couple enters the bridal chamber after the wedding ceremony，except Children who are invited onto the bed to bless the couple with fertility.

迎親：婚禮舉行之前，會有家庭比較好的“喜婆”鋪婚牀，在牀上撒有象徵意義的水果。新婚夫婦婚禮之後進入新房之前，除了邀請來祝新人早生貴子的孩子外，任何人不得碰婚牀。

Usually the bride's dowry shall be sent to the bridegroom's family by the day before the wedding day. Sometimes the dowry will be brought by the bride's estorts. Q traditional dowry normally consists of valuable items such as jewellery embroidered beddings，kitchen utensils and furniture. The type of the dowry is constantly changing except for the basic，symbolic items. For example，in 1980s，a sewing machine, a bicycle，and a recorder were musts in a marriage. Now, they are totally out of fashion.

婚禮進行前一天，新娘的嫁妝要被送到新郎家。有時候嫁妝還要新郎的陪護。傳統嫁妝通常會包括一些值錢的物品，比如珠寶、刺繡的牀上用品、廚具和傢俱。除了一些基本的有象徵意義的物品，嫁妝的種類一直在不斷變化。比如在上世紀80年代，嫁妝必須包括縫紉機、自行車和錄音機。現在，這些都過時了。

Unlike Western tradition，the colour red dominates traditional Chinese weddings. Chinese people tend to use or wear red to add a joyful atmosphere to such a festive occasion.，

和西方傳統不同，中國傳統的婚禮以紅色爲主。中國人往往用紅色或穿上紅衣服來增加喜慶的氣氛。

At dawn on the wedding day, the bride puts on new dothes, wears a pair of red shoes and waits for the so called "good luck woman" to dress her hair in the style of a married woman. Her head would be covered with a red silk veil with tassels or bead strings that hang from the phoenix crown. She waits for her future husband to escort her home, with married women talking around her about how to be a good wife.

在婚禮當天的清晨，新娘會穿上新妝，頭戴鳳冠，腳穿紅婚鞋，等待喜婆爲她盤頭。盤好後，就用有穗子或珠串的紅蓋頭矇頭等待自己未來的丈夫來迎娶，她的周圍會有已婚婦女告訴怎樣做個好妻子。

On the other hand，the bridegroom prepares himself to receive his wife. He gets dressed in a long gown，red shoes and a red silk sash with a silk ball on his chest. The groom kneels at the ancestral altar as his father puts a cap decorated with cypress leaves on his head to declare his adulthood and his family responsibilitier.

與此同時，新郎也在準備迎親。他穿上長袍和紅鞋子，胸前別上一個紅繡球，然後跪在宗廟的供案前，由他的父親爲他戴上有柏枝裝飾的新郎帽，並宣佈他已成家立業。

Then the bridegroom sets out to receive his bride. Usually a crowd of friends escorts the bridegroom and musicians play joyful tunes during the entire trip.

準備停當，新郎就出發迎娶新娘。通常會有一羣朋友陪伴在新郎左右，還有樂師一路上不停地演奏婚樂。

The most interesting part of the reception really takes place at the doorstep of the bride's residence，which is heavily guarded by the bridesmaid or the bride's sisters. It is customary for the bridesmaid to give the bridegroom a difficult time before he is allowed to enter. Usually wisdom，courage and his friends will help the bridegroom to succeed in his "trial"ver, there is one more situation he has to negotiate with the bridesmaid and sisters of the bride-to distribute among them red packets containing money-in order to take his bride home.

迎親最有意思的一段發生在新娘家的門前。新娘家的門通常都由伴娘或新娘的姐妹們把守。根據風俗，她們只有對新郎百般刁難之後，才能放新郎進門。新郎通常需要藉助自己的智慧、勇氣和朋友的幫助才能通過這種“試煉”，然而，爲了把新娘帶回家，還有一件事他要跟伴娘和新娘的姐妹們協商:給她們發紅包的數量。

Before the bride departs to the bridegroom's home，the“good luck woman" will lead her to the sedan chair. On her way to the chair, one of her sisters will shield her with a red parasol，while another sister will throw rice at the sedan chair. At the back of the sedan hang a sieve and metallic mirror that are believed to protect the bride from evil. The bride has to cry to show that she does not want to leave her parents.

在新郎離開新娘家之前，有喜婆把新娘領到轎子上，在此過程中由新娘的一位姐妹用紅傘遮住新娘，另一個姐妹向轎子內撒米。轎子的背後會掛上一個篩子和一面金屬鏡子，人們認爲它們可以避邪。新娘必須要哭，以此向人們表明她不想離開自己的父母。

Then firecrackers will be set off to drive away evil spirits as the bride sits into the sedan chair. All along the way people make great efforts to avoid any inauspicious influence. For instance，the sedan chair is heavily curtained to prevent the bride from seeing an unlucky sight(e. g. a widow, a well or even a cat). When the parading troop arrives at the bridegroom's，firecrackers will be set off to hail the bride's arrival. Before the sedan chair a red mat is placed so that the bride will not touch the bare earth. By the threshold，a flaming stove and saddle will be set up and the bride is required to sidestep or step over them to avoid evils.

新娘坐上轎子後，會燃放鞭炮驅趕邪靈。一路上人們都會竭力避免不好的影響。例如，轎子四面都用簾子遮蔽，以避免新娘看到什麼不祥的景象(柳樹、井、甚至是貓)。迎親隊伍到達新郎家時，會燃放鞭炮歡迎新娘的到來。轎前會放上一個紅色的墊子，不讓新娘接觸到土地。門檻前會放置一個燃着的爐子和鞍座，新娘要從旁邊繞過去，或者從上面跨過去。

The bride and bridegroom are then led to an altar, where the couple kowtows to Heaven and Earth，the family ancestors and parents successively. They then Afterwards, a grand feast is held for relatives and those who helped with the wedding. The newlyweds will resume drinking wedding wine. Generally they are required to cross their arms to sip wine. They also will toast their guests. Guests voice their good wishes for the couple.

然後新郎和新娘會被領到一個香案前，拜天地，拜祖宗和父母，夫妻交拜。之後會進人洞房。整個過程會有人指導提示，觀衆會報以掌聲。此後會舉行一個盛大的宴會招待親朋好友。新婚夫婦會喝交杯酒。喝完後也會向客人敬酒。客人們會表示對新人的良好祝願。

After night falls, the teasing games start. Usually all young men can participate except for the bride's married brothers-in-laws. These funny and silly games help ease the tension，since in ancient times the newlyweds never met each other before the wedding!Most of the games require the shy couple to ad like wife and husband. The festive atmosphere also promotes closeness among all the family members and the community beyond. There also will be other activities conducted by the bridegroom's mother after the roaring laughter fades into the darkness.

夜幕降臨時，除新郎已婚兄弟之外的年輕人通常都會去鬧洞房。他們會玩些非常有趣或者愚蠢的遊戲來幫助新婚夫婦消除緊張，要知道在古代新婚夫婦在婚禮之前是沒有見過面的!遊戲大多都會要求羞澀的新郎和新娘表現得像夫妻。喜慶的氣氛會增進所有家庭成員以及社區間的親密關係。

Traditionally，the newlyweds are to return to visit the bride's parents one or three days after the wedding. They will be hailed with a banquet and it is the bridegroom's turn to suffer the well-intentioned teasing of the bride's relatives and friends.

按照傳統，新婚夫婦在婚禮後的第三天要“回門”:回到新娘家。新娘父母會設宴招待，此時就輪到新郎受新娘親友的善意的愚弄了。

Traditional marriage customs lost their popularity due to the collapse of the feudal arranged marriage and its complexity. However, traditional marriage can still be seen in the countryside，despite innovations. Now, traditional marriage customs are being revived in some places and they are attracting many prospective couples.

由於封建的包辦婚姻已經瓦解，傳統婚姻的習俗非常複雜，傳統婚姻已經不受歡迎。然而在農村依然能看到它的蹤影，當然也做了一些創新。如今有些地方，傳統婚姻又開始流行起來，吸引着越來越多的要結婚的年輕人。