Wedding Ceremony of Jiarong Tibetan

Jiarong Tibetans have their old and unique wedding customs. The wedding ceremony is grand and sacred. From the beginning to the end, singing and dancing go on day and night. Although different places of residence have some small differences, main steps still remain.

Furthermore, the wedding ceremony is going on with the bride's uncle ( maternal elder brother ), which reflects the culture of matrilineal society. In the ancient time, Jiarong Tibetans was centralized by women. Although they have passed a long time from the era of matrilineal society, in which peoples just knew who their mother is and did not know who their father is. The maternal elder brother acts as the protector of his brothers and sisters. This wedding customs keep till today.

The wedding ceremony of Jiarong Tibetan People

Wedding Process

At night before the wedding, the bridegroom gets wedding greeting from the elders, relatives and friends beside the Guozhuang in the ancestral house, which is called Guahong there. Then the bridegroom and his procession will lead a white horse or pregnant horse to greet the bride.

In the first early morning of the wedding, the bride is born on the back of her elder brother, in company of some closest relatives and friends, out of the their village amid the music played by Mantong and Suona horn, the local woodwind instruments. And all of them can not help crying, which shows the bride's excitement for new life and reluctance to leave her parents' home. Meanwhile, the villages will sing folk songs at the roadsides,"We are bidding farewell to our girl. You should take good care of her. Hope you will have a good fortune and a pleasant journey. (阿爸阿妈送送达尔加（出嫁姑娘），心酸心疼心相爱，愿你们吉祥如意、一路平安。)" The bridegroom's procession sing back,"Please rest assured. We will be kind to her. Everything will be perfectly satisfactory as you wish. (阿爸阿妈请放心，新娘永远是你女，普亚（新郎）是你儿，一切都会美.)"

The Guozhuang Dance of Jiarong Tibetan People

When they come to the bridegroom's village, his villagers have been waiting for them at the gate of village. After the bride gets off from the horse, her uncle recites scriptures while pays sincere tribute to the heaven, the earth and the God of mountains with a branch of cypress dipping in clean water, also named Sacred Water.

Arriving at bridegroom's house, he will face to distinguish his bride from two girls who wear the same clothes and are covered with a red kerchief on their heads. It is not a easy job to identify her bride. Finally, the bridegroom comes out with idea that he identifies her bride by the bracelet and ring he sent, and then the red kerchief is off. The bride meets his villagers who are attending their wedding.

Next, the villagers will dance Guozhuang, sing, drink day and night.

On the third day, the bride will go back to her parents' home with her uncle and stay for a couple of days. On the way out of the groom's village, some neighbors, especially young people will see them off, and hold a red ribbon to stop the bride from departing, which is called "Red Block". At that time, some one will come up and daub some white flour on the foreheads of the bride and her relatives, and let them go under the white silk fabric. For Jiarong Tibetan, white is very much, and they show their blessings for their relatives, neighbors and friends by daubing white flour on each other. After several days, she goes to the groom's home again and their marital life starts.

The Bride and the Bridegroom

Wedding Features

1. During the wedding ceremony, all neighbors, relatives and friends get together and dance, sing, drink for give blessings to the bride and bridegroom.
2. At the toasting time, the bride and bridegroom can not say any words. All blessings are said by the best man and maid at the wedding.
3. In the three days wedding ceremony, the bridegroom is not permitted to say any words with the bride, and they also cannot spend their wedding night together.
4. The bridegroom has no chance to touch the bride's fingers because she is accompanied by her best maid.

If you want to take a part in such wedding ceremony, you can come to Siguniangshan or other Jiarong Tibetan residences like Danba.

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