The Miao Tribe in China
The Miao people are one of China’s largest minority ethnic groups, numbering over nine million. Miao is a blanket term used across a group of linguistically and culturally related minorities in southwest China.
The Miao language belongs to the Sino-Tibetan system, the Miao-Yao family, Miao branch. It is typologically akin to the Thai language. There are three dialects and seven sub-dialects.
Wedding Customs of Miao ethnic Group: Marriage in China
Among many ethnic groups in China, the Miao have maintained their wedding traditions and customs, which vary in different places and locations Miao tribe. Parents usually arrange marriages, but unmarried young men and women have the freedom to court.
Mass courting occasions sometimes take place during holidays and festivals, when young women gather to sing antiphonal love songs with young men from neighbouring villages. If a couple is attracted to each other, they exchange love tokens.
But they must seek the approval of their parents before they can marry.
Arranged marriage is usually arranged by a matchmaker who the parents of the young couple invite, usually a relative or friend of the other party.
After the girl’s family understands the young man’s family’s situation and obtains her view, the parents will explain whether they agree or not when the matchmaker comes back.
If the girl’s family agree, they will agree on a cash gift” and engagement date. Then the young man’s family prepared requested goods to be sent to the girl’s home. In the same vein, the bride’s family, in turn, prepares wine and meat to serve the young man’s family.
When the young man’s family leaves, the girl’s family will send chicken, glutinous rice and a waist belt made of Chinese pepper cloth” to each guest as gifts.
The females from the Miao in the mountainous Guizhou province of south-eastern China are famous for wearing a heavy silver-designed dress, elaborate silver headdresses and jewellery. This is a typical wedding practice among the Miao people.
Many families believe their daughters cannot get married if they don’t own a proper silver outfit. Hence, they start saving up to 10 years before the ceremony.
Marriage Procession and Customary rites
Intending couples often begin their relationship by playing a courtship game called Pov Pob, dancing and singing antiphonal songs during the Miao New Year festival. If a couple decides to marry, the groom’s family has to give the bride’s family a bride price in silver and animals.
The Miao wedding ceremony is elaborate and extravagant, with plenty of food and drinks. The wedding feast lasts for days sometimes. There is a famous custom of singing wine songs during the Miaos wedding. Miao’s wine songs are often sung in sets to celebrate a wedding.
It takes eight or nine hours, even all night long, to sing a set of wine songs at the wedding. Singers should be selected by both the bride’s and bridegroom’s family to sing wine songs.
The Miao practice a ritual before initiating a marriage procession between intending couples. A chicken is sometimes killed in front of the husband and bride-to-be. If the chicken’s eyes are identical, that means the marriage will be a prosperous one.
If the eyes are different, that is a bad omen, and the wedding plans are quickly scrapped.
At a Miao wedding, the bride and groom eat sumptuous rice cake in which a dragon, phoenix and Feng doll are drawn. Also, at the wedding ceremony, the bride and groom must drink Jiaobei spirit together from special cups by crossing their wrists and drinking wine from their cup.
In addition, The Miao practice levirate marriages. If a man dies, his eldest brother usually has the first prerogative over the widow. If he doesn’t want her, the widow’s family is required to return some of the bride prices.
The Miao still practises bride kidnapping. In many cases, it is nothing but elopement and usually occurs when parents disapprove of a match or the boy doesn’t get along with the girl’s parents.
Conclusion
A Miao wedding is often expensive, with different stages of customary practices and rites. The Miao wedding tradition is famous for the excessive display of silver on the bride’s outfit. Owning a silver outfit is often a prerequisite for marriage among the Miao ethnic group.
The Miao practice several forms of marriage, including Arranged, Courting, levirate and elopement marriage. Notwithstanding, the parent nudge of approval is sacrosanct to any form of this marriage.
Additionally, marriage outside the Miao tribe is uncommon. When a woman marries, she leaves her family and clan and enters the family and clan of her husband. She often moves to her husband’s village.
When she dies, she is worshipped by his descendants. Divorces are uncommon, partly because of how lofty the bride price is. Hence, the bride’s family is reluctant and unwilling to return the price. The only way an unhappy wife can most often get out of a marriage is through suicide.
