               
Student sheet 1: Courtship and marriage China is a multinational country with 56 ethnic groups. According to the 1991 census, 92 per cent of China's population is made up of Han people. The Dai ethnic group is one of the 55 minority groups making up the remaining 8 per cent of China's population. The minority groups have many distinctive features such as different styles of architecture, colourful ornaments and costumes, traditional folk songs and dances, and marriage customs. Jinghong is situated in Xishuangbanna in Yunnanc province in south-west China. In Xishuangbanna there are more than ten minority groups, including the Dai people. There are a number of different groups of Dai people. Three of these are the Han Dai, the Flower Belt Dai and the Jinuo Dai. The Dai people, like other groups in China, have fascinating marriage customs quite distinct from the majority of the population. Especially during festivals, the Dai practise a variety of traditional courtship activities such as 'throwing embroidered bags', 'countryside fairs' and 'visiting girls'. 'Visiting girls' is an ancient courtship tradition for young men and women which takes place during the agricultural slack season. When all the lights in the stilt houses have gone out, bonfires are made outside the village. Dai women sit around the fire, softly turning their spinning wheels. Silently, groups of young men, usually draped in red blankets, approach to 'visit' the young women, playing guitars or other musical instruments as they walk around them. Finally, when they have taken a fancy to one of the women, they slowly walk nearer. If a woman also takes a liking to the man, she will take out a small stool from under her long skirt and invite him to sit down beside her. As soon as the man sits down, he wraps the woman up in his red blanket, and a heart-to-heart talk begins. Courtship activities may be conducted at any place in any form. For instance, a young man who goes up a mountain will sing folk songs to express his interest if he meets a woman who attracts him. A young man's courting song: The spring breeze re-awakens the sleeping grass, And if she also falls in love at first sight, the young woman will reply: Thousands of flowers bloom on the mountains, After they become better acquainted, the young man often visits the young woman and they sit and talk in her stilt house. If they find they really love and understand one another, they may tell their parents, and make preparations for engagement. The date of the wedding is decided by their parents and the wedding ceremony is usually held in the woman's home. Traditionally, on the wedding day both the bride and the bridegroom go to a Buddhist temple and then go back to the newly married woman's home. On their way back home, they are accompanied by their relatives and friends, firecrackers exploding everywhere, while people in the village try to be the first to see the new couple. Meanwhile, in the stilt house, a small round table has been prepared with banana leaves, red or white cloth or cotton prints. At the centre of the table are placed two small bags shaped in circular cones and wrapped with banana leaves. In these bags are a roasted hen and a chicken. In addition, a glass of wine, a package containing salt, glutinous rice and a ball of white thread are also found on the table. The wedding ceremony begins as soon as the newly married couple enters their stilt house from the temple. The eldest male presides over the ceremony, sitting in front of the table. Other relatives and friends sit in order of importance on either side. Bride and bridegroom kneel in front of him as he makes a speech of congratulation. Relatives and friends stretch out their right hands on the table and listen to him carefully. When the speaker has finished, the newly married couple places a handful of glutinous rice into some wine, then takes it out again and offers it as a sacrifice to the cooked chicken and the package containing salt. The the rice is put back on the table. This ritual is repeated three times. Following this is the binding thread ceremony. The eldest male takes out a long thread and ties it to the table, then ties it around the new couple's shoulders from left to right. Finally he binds the other end of the thread to the table, giving them his blessing. Afterwards, the elder takes out another white thread and binds their wrists separately. Then all the elders present take white threads and bind the new couple to express congratulations. On this day both the bride and groom must give a banquet at which the parents of the man and woman and respected elders of the village sit on the floor around the small table and the other relatives and friends sit in the courtyard. Delicious dishes and wine are prepared for these banquets. The new couple offers glasses of wine to all the guests. On this occasion, people celebrate the new couple and the young people sing and dance late into the night.
Traditionally, the young couple live in the bride's home for three years following marriage, before establishing their own stilt house.
Source: An Chunyang and Liu Bohua (eds) 1985, Where the Dai People Live, China's Nationalities Series, Foreign Languages Press, Beijing. Also collected in: Access Asia: Secondary Teaching and Learning Units, Curriculum Corporation, 1996, pp 112-114.
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