The Wedding of Bonan

Send the Bride with Grains of Five Colors

The team accompanying the bride to bridegroom's family on the wedding day is composed of 20 to 30 people and usually the male are more than the female. At the beginning, an old woman in the bride's family supports the bride with the left hand and holds a plate containing grains of five colors, usually including wheat, beans, maize, highland barley and millet, mixed with jasmine tea leaves, with the right hand. The bride spreads backward one handful of grains when she retreats one step from the door of her own room to the main gate. The grains of five colors embody blessing to the family of her parents and her doing so means to leave luckiness and happiness to her parents, sisters, brothers and sister-in-laws. When she goes outside the gate, the bride mounts on a horse, with a veil on the head and a red carpet around her body. The party sent by the bridegroom's family to escort the bride and the party from the bride's family to accompany her thus set off to the groom's house.

Slapstick of Young Men

Young men from the bridegroom's village are waiting at a place near the bridegroom's house for the bride and the party accompanying her. When they arrive, these young guys rush forward together and set fireworks, trying to hold back the bride and her company. At this moment, the bride's elder brother or other close relative carries the bride in his arms and tries to enter the bridegroom's house. If the bride is carried far, the young guys get the upper hand; if not, the bride's company gets the upper hand. But the young guys will lose if they cannot bar the bride and her company from entering the bridegroom's house together with the horse. After the contest, the bride is carried in the arms of his brother into the bridal chamber. Then, the companying party from the bride's family and the escorting party from the bridegroom's family begin horse racing.

After that, all guests attend a dinner except the bride. According to custom, the bride will not dine in the bridegroom's house in the first three days but take meals sent by her parents' family to show that she has not forget her parents' fostering.

That night, all women and men in the whole village come to the banquet. Young men burn a large fire in the yard which has been decorated with lanterns and streamers. Wooden benches are put around the fire and jasmine tea is baked near the fire. Young men begin to sing and dance, while old people just sit around the fire, drinking the baked jasmine

The banquet lasts till the mid night. After that, the host takes out jujubes, walnuts and so on to treat the guests, putting an end to the whole wedding ceremony.