Crying Ritual

During the early 17th century the crying marriage ritual was at its peak and remained so until the end of the Qing era in 1911. It is said to have originated during the 475 to 221 BC, when princess of the Zhao State was to be married into the Yan State. At the time of departure, princess’s mother is said to have cried, asking her to return home soon. It is said that it was the first crying marriage. Now a day the custom is not popular but there are still a large number of families that practice it with passion. Among the Tujia people, in China, it is a necessary procedure for marriage. It is necessary for bride to shed tears on her marriage. If she doesn’t, her neighbors will treat her as inferior as one of poor breeding and she could even become the joke of her village. The ritual is exists in various regions of the Sichuan Province. In the west, it is called ‘Zuo Tang’ (sitting in the hall). It means that the bride is required to sit in a lobby and cry. 30 days before the marriage, the girl walks into a large hall each night and weeps for about an hour. After about 10 days, her mother joins her and they both cry together. 10 days later, her grandma joins them. A couple of days later, other females of the family also join them. The crying isn't only an irregular shedding of tears. There's a tune required too. Suitably named the 'Crying Marriage Tune', the overstated singing of the stanzas is said to set the wedding climate pleasantly. A portion of alternate tunes are fixated on topics of steadiness, manners and obedient devotion. Maybe it helps in initiating a new life.

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