Kujiage - Weeping Songs before Marriage (Zhangjiajie)

DATE:08-06-2011

The maidens begin to weep three days or seven days before their marriages and some ones begin to do so half a month, one month or even three months before their marriages. However, at first they weep a little now and a little then. They weep freely. Whenever a relative or neighbor pays a visit to the maiden, she will cry to the relatives or neighbors to express her thanks. The last night before the wedding day and the period when the maiden was about to get on a sedan, the weeping for marriage reaches a climax. During this period, the weeping must abide by traditional etiquette and it can not weep freely. Whoever is unable to weep will be mocked and even discriminated against by others. Some of its “lyrics” are handed down from generation by generation, while some others are improvised by the brides and their sisters who are accompanying them. The main contents are to express their gratitude to their parents and the elders as well as their brothers and sisters for their loving care from childhood. They weep for the happy life in girlhood. They also weep because they are sorry and sad as their youth will go away and new life will come and they are anxious and feel at sea. But some maidens weep because they are not satisfied with their marriages, and they are greatly regretted for matchmakers’ random arrangement.