The Wedding Custom of the Zhuang Nationality[壮族的婚俗]

       The zhuang people in some area, such as Longsheng County have the custom of carrying a bride on the back, cutting a ladder, tearing a bridge and singing in artiphonal style at wedding.When a bride marries,a man who has parents alive, a son and a daughter or the bride's father will carry her on his back out of the gate. This is called carrying a bride. Being carried, the bride must be barefoot and wears shoes out of the qate, which means her footprint is outside and she will be linked with her husband from now on, and also implies that she is reluctant to go away from Thome. he bride, accompianied by village girls and a singer, will not sit  on a sedan when she gets to her bridegroom's home. Of her dowry are some gifts: a pair of now shoes and a suit of clothes for her husand, an apron respective to mother-in-law and an aunt, a waist belt respective to father-in-law and an uncle. When a bride comes to her bridegroom's home, she has to chimb a ladder upstairs and go down a bridge to her bridal chamber. After her climbing up, a young man whose parents are still alive will cut the new bridge and the ladder, which means that the bride's route of retreat is cut off and she will remain in her husbard's home for ever and give birth to children, bring forth a new home and new career. At night, the bride, the singer and the village lads will sing in antiphonal style. The bride goes home the next day and the bridegroom will go to take her back to his home. That night the village girls from bride's place and the singer, and the village lads will sing in antiphonal style again for three nights on end. There are tea songs, songs of praise and love songs. Some young men look for loves by the way. 

旅行生活只因你的驻足而精彩（中国China）