MARRIAGE RITES AND CUSTOMS OF THE BAI IN CHINA
The Bai are an East Asian ethnic group native to the Dali Bai Prefecture in Yunnan, southwest China, the rest are scattered in Xichang and Bijie in neighboring Sichuan and Guizhou provinces respectively.
As one of China’s 56 ethnic tribes, the Bai people speak the Bai language and Chinese. Bai is classified as belonging to the Sino-Tibetan family in the Tibeto-Burman group of languages. There are three Bai dialects. the Bai are grouped into three dialects, numbering close to two million people.
MARRIAGE CUSTOMS OF THE BAI : traditional chinese marriage customs
Marriage among the Bia is based on monogamy, with the prohibition to marry in the same clan or with someone with the same surname. Intermarriage with other ethnic is largely encouraged. Dissimilar to the Han majority tribe of China, sons in the Bai family live separately from their parents.
Arranged marriage_ with children when they were teenagers_ was the norm among the Bai until the early 20th century. This practice although as been gradually phased out with modernity.
The Bai youths have increasingly been granted the freedom to choose who they want to marry. Nonetheless, the customs and procedures of their wedding ceremony are still largely adhered to.
The suitor accompanied by some family elders visits the brides father’s house, bearing gifts to make known their intention. If the girl agrees to a marriage proposal, she would give the visiting suitor and his entourage a piece of baba (rice cake).
MARRIAGE RITES AND EVENTS
The groom is expected to pay the bride price and dowry as the custom demands. After the bride price payment, the young man and woman are engaged, whilst a date is being picked for the wedding.
On the eve of the wedding day, a tent is erected in the groom’s parents’ house. A handful of families, friends and neighbours are invited into the tent accompanied by Suona musicians, dancing and lots of refreshments such as; fruits, tea, wine and a large bowl of tangyuan (boiled rice dumplings)
On the wedding day, the selected groom’s friends are delegated to escort the bride to his home for the wedding. The groomsmen are accompanied by Suona musicians to the bride’s house with a bit of fanfare. When the groom’s friends arrive, the bride’s family does not immediately go out to welcome them until Suona players finish playing the joyous music six times.
A Bia wedding is accompanied by various significant rites, with elaborate feasting. During the marriage procession, the couple is mandated to eat a bowl of hot spicy noodles and thick fish together.
This meal prepared by the bride leaves them tearful and is designed primarily to make the guests laugh. From mockery to forced crying to burnt tongues, Bai weddings seem to have a pretty sadistic atmosphere.
According to custom the bride then has to cry intentionally and sorrowfully in front of her family. As she cries, she would express her gratitude to her parents for having raised her. Finally, the couple will cross their arms together and drink wine, which symbolizes that they will respect and love each other forever.
Carrying the bride on the back is a famous marriage tradition among Bai. During the wedding ceremony, the groom has to carry his bride on his back, walking along the route in the shape of the number eight.
Another interesting and strange tradition in Bai weddings is pinch rituals. The guests can pinch the bride during the marriage procession for good luck. However, the bride is expected to get angry or display discomfort but laugh during the ritual exercise.
In the evening, an intimate dinner is held where the bridegroom and family members are present. After the meal, the bride pays respect to the groom’s elder relatives and presents each of them with a pair of embroidered shoes that she has made.
In turn, they reward her with monetary gifts. The bride’s younger relatives and neighbouring children will then gather and pay respect to her, and are rewarded with candies and fruit.
CONCLUSION
The Bia marriage is an extravagant socio-cultural ceremony which involves involving life long bond between the couple. A normal marriage among the Bia is the monogamous union of a man and a woman based on mutual choice.
After the whole celebration and feasting, the bride pays her first visit after marriage to her parents the next day for divination and rituals process to aid fruitfulness and a happy home. After the divination process, the bride returns home the same day to her newly wedded husband.
