Nowadays, many people hold their weddings at noon, and some even insist on finishing before 12:00. However, in ancient times, weddings were usually held at night, and this is often shown in well - made ancient costume dramas. Is there any special significance that we don't know? When faced with such questions, many people around us may be informed that weddings were formerly called "hun li" (昏礼). Since ancient people often held weddings at dusk, it was named so. But this seems to just replace one conclusion with another, without explaining why weddings were held at dusk or close to night.
Let me state the conclusion first. There are two main reasons for holding weddings at night: one is related to the theory of yin and yang and the five elements; the other is the evolution of the custom of bride - abduction. Now let's elaborate.
The Theory of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements
Since men belong to yang and women belong to yin, the intersection of yin and yang is "hun" (昏). According to "The Book of Rites", "A man takes a wife at dusk. Since a woman belongs to yin, it is called 'hun' (marriage)." Here, "dusk" refers to the Xu Shi (戌时) in the twelve - hour system, which is equivalent to 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. today. "The Rites of Zhou: Wedding Ceremony of Scholars" records, "The wedding procedure begins." Zheng Xuan of the Han Dynasty commented, "The wedding ceremony for scholars is held at dusk, and that's how it got its name. Yang goes and yin comes. When the sun sets, it is yin." Moreover, dusk symbolizes the ancients' expectation for a happy marriage, similar to the alternation of the sun and the moon and long - lasting perfection.
The Custom of Bride - Abduction
Bride - abduction is a relic of the primitive society, where men seized women as wives at night. This can still be seen in the customs of some ethnic minorities today. Some scholars believe that the time around dusk was convenient for bride - abduction, which influenced the later practice of holding weddings at this time. In "Shuo Wen Jie Zi", the character "qu" (娶) in the context of marriage is explained as "to take a wife", which reveals the origin. Later, the bride - abduction system was gradually replaced by the commercial marriage system and the match - making marriage system, becoming the mainstream way of getting married in the civilized era.
One reason is from the perspective of the five - element theory, and the other is from the perspective of the change of customs. However, it was the "Zhou Li" that really set the rules. "The Book of Rites: The Meaning of Marriage" clearly stipulates that the wedding should be held at dusk, stating that "The wedding ceremony is the foundation of all ceremonies", which strictly regulated this important ritual system, and later generations followed it.
So why are weddings now held during the day? A major reason is the strict "night curfew" system that emerged during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Qiu Jun of the Ming Dynasty explained in "Da Xue Yan Yi Bu", "This is what is called the night curfew. According to the current system, people are prohibited from walking on the streets at the third watch of the first watch (around 20:00), and the curfew is lifted at the third watch of the fifth watch (around 4:20)." In the Qing Dynasty, the curfew started even earlier, at 7:00 p.m. Compared with the prosperous and open Tang and Song Dynasties (where the curfew was sometimes in name only or partially lifted) and the Yuan Dynasty, where the curfew started at most after 9:00 p.m., it became increasingly difficult to hold weddings at dusk.
Then why was it changed to noon? Because "wu shi" (午时) is also a time of the intersection of yin and yang, between 11:00 and 12:00. After 12:00, yang reaches its peak and begins to decline, while yin starts to emerge. So getting married before 12:00 is for the purpose of "yang going and yin coming", similar to the meaning of holding weddings at dusk, which is a compromise. This concept has also been passed down to today's wedding customs. Some cities still retain the custom of holding weddings at dusk, which can be regarded as an inheritance of the old tradition, symbolizing the intersection of yin and yang and carrying good wishes for a happy marriage. When do people hold weddings according to the old customs in your area?
