Drinking Custom Concerning Marriage 婚姻, 饮酒, 习俗, Custom, Marriage

0086girl

2013-1-7 15:05

南方的“女儿酒”，最早记载为晋人嵇含所著的《南方草木状》，说南方人生下女儿才数岁，便开始酿酒，酿成酒后，埋藏于池塘底部，待女儿出嫁之时才取出供宾客饮用。这种酒在绍兴得到继承，发展成为著名的“花雕酒”，其酒质与一般的绍兴酒并无显著差别，主要是装酒的坛子独特，这种酒坛还在土坯时，就雕上各种花卉图案，人物鸟兽，山水亭榭，等到女儿出嫁时，取出酒坛，请画匠用油彩画出“百戏”，如“八仙过海”，“龙凤呈祥”，“嫦娥奔月”等，并配以吉祥如意，花好月圆的“彩头”。

The earliest record of the “Daughter Wine” of the South China can be found in the Guide of Grasses and Trees in the South by Ji Han, who was from the Jin State. It was recorded that the southerner started brewing when the daughter was several years old, buried the wine in the bottom of pond, and dug it up for entertaining guests when the daughter was to be married. In Shaoxing, this kind of wine was developed to the famous “Huadiao Wine”. Huadiao Wine doesn’t have significant difference with the common Shaoxing wine in wine quality, except that it is stored in a kind of special jar. This kind of wine jar is carved with various patterns of flowers, characters, birds, animals, landscapes and pavilions when it is only a piece of adobe. When the daughter is to be married, the wine jar would be taken out, and a limner would be invited to draw “hundred shows” such as “the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea”, “Auspicious Omen with a Dragon Entangling a Phoenix” and “Chang’e Flying to the Moon” by grease paint on the jar, with the good omen of good fortune and perfect conjugal bliss.

“喜酒”，往往是婚礼的代名词，置办喜酒即办婚事，去喝喜酒，也就是去参加婚礼。

“Wedding feast” is usually another saying of wedding. Preparing wedding feast means preparing the wedding. Having wedding feast also means participating the wedding.

满族人结婚时的“交杯酒”：入夜，洞房花烛齐亮，新郎给新娘揭下头盖后要坐在新娘左边，娶亲太太捧着酒杯，先请新郎抿一口；送亲太太捧着酒杯，先请新娘抿一口；然后两位太太将酒杯交换，请新郎新娘再各抿一口。

“Cross-cupped wine” of the Manchu nationality for wedding: when the night comes, wedding candles in the bridal chamber are lightened up. The bridegroom raises the red veil of the bride, and then sits in the left side of the bride. The lady of the bridegroom’s side who escorts the bride holds one wine cup and asks the bridegroom to take a sip; the lady of the bride’s side who accompanies the bride holds another wine cup and asks the bride to take a sip. The two ladies then exchange the two wine cups, and ask the bridegroom and bride to take a sip from the other’s cup respectively.

满族人在举行婚礼前后的“谢亲席”：将烹制好的一桌酒席置于特制的礼盒中，由两人抬着送到女家，以表示对亲家养育了女儿给自家做媳女的感谢之情。另外，还要做一桌“谢媒席”，用圆笼装上，由一人挑上送到媒人家，表示对媒人成全好事的感激之情。

The “thankfulness feast for relatives by marriage” of the Manchu nationality before and after the wedding: The bridegroom’s parents shall prepare a feast, put the dishes into specially made gift box, and dispatch two persons to uplift and send the box to the bride’s home in order to express the thankfulness to the relatives by marriage for cultivating such a good daughter-in-law for them. Besides, the bridegroom’s parents shall prepare a “thankfulness feast for matchmaker”, put the dishes into round bamboo utensils, and dispatch one person to send the utensils to the matchmaker’s home by carrying on shoulder with a pole in order to express the thankfulness to the matchmaker for causing the marriage.

达斡尔族的“接风酒”和“出门酒”：送亲的人一到男家，新郎父母要斟满两盅酒，向送亲人敬“接风酒”，这也叫“进门盅”，来宾要全部饮尽，以示已是一家人。尔后，男家要摆三道席宴请来宾。婚礼后，女方家远者多在新郎家住一夜，次日才走，在送亲人返程时，新郎父母都恭候门旁内侧，向贵宾一一敬“出门酒”。

“Wine for greeting” and “wine for sending off” of the Daur nationality: As soon as the people of the bride’s side who accompany the bride arrive in the bridegroom’s home, the bridegroom’s parents should fill two cups with wine, and toast the guests with “wine for greeting”, which is also called “greeting cup”. All the guests shall drink to the bottom, indicating that the two sides are family. Later, the bridegroom’s family should prepare three feasts to entertain the guests. After the wedding, the bride’s relatives whose homes are far away will stay over in the bridegroom’s home and leave in the next day. While sending off the relatives, the bridegroom’s parents should stand in the inside of the door and toast guests with “wine for sending off” respectively.

“会亲酒”，订婚仪式时，要摆的酒席。喝了“会亲酒”，表示婚事已成定局，婚姻契约已经生效，此后男女双方不得随意退婚，赖婚。

“Wine for meeting the relatives by marriage” refers to the feast prepared for the engagement ritual. After drinking up the “wine for meeting the relatives by marriage”, the marriage is determined and the marriage deed has become effective. Afterwards, neither the male party nor the female party can break off the engagement at discretion.

“回门酒”，结婚的第二天，新婚夫妇要“回门”，即回到娘家探望长辈，娘家要置宴款待，俗称“回门酒”。回门酒只设午餐一顿，酒后夫妻双双回家。

“Wine for bride’s home visit”: On the day following the wedding, the newlywed shall “visit the bride’s home”, namely, returning to the bride’s home to visit the senior. The bride’s family shall prepare a feast for entertaining, which is commonly called “wine for bride’s home visit” and only covers the lunch. After the feast, the newlywed go back home together.

　　“交杯酒”：这是我国婚礼程序中的一个传统礼节，在古代又称为“合卺”（卺的意思本来是一个瓠分成两个瓢），《礼记•昏义》有“合卺而醑”，孔颖达解释道“以一瓠分为二瓢谓之卺，婿之与妇各执一片以醑（即以酒嗽口），合卺又引申为结婚的意思。

“Cross-cupped wine””: This is a traditional rite in Chinese wedding formality and was anciently called “He Jin (namely, drinking the nuptial cup)” (the character “Jin” means one white-flowered gourd is divided into two gourd dippers). “He Jin Er Yin” was recorded in the Book of Rites • Wedding Ritual, with the meaning that “one white-flowered gourd is divided into two gourd dippers, and the bridegroom and the bride hold one dipper respectively for gargling with wine” as explained by Kong Yinda. The extended meaning of “He Jin” is marriage.