The Hua Miao wedding custom in Maoping is mainly distributed in the three villages of Guihua, Tucao and Diguan in Maoping Town, Meitan County, Zunyi City. Maoping Town is located at the southern end of Meitan County, Zunyi City, Guizhou Province, 47 kilometers away from the county seat. The town has a population of 11,700, of which ethnic minorities account for 33.6%. Among the ethnic minorities, Hua Miao is the largest, accounting for 80%. The town has a good ecological environment, with a forest coverage rate of more than 47%. The 23 natural bridges in the Baimianshui Natural Bridge, a provincial scenic spot in the territory, are connected in light and dark, which is rare in the world. The Huangshan Nature Reserve is the area with the most concentrated Huangshan growth area in the province. Hua Miao was originally an ancient ethnic group in eastern my country. It migrated from the Yellow River and Huai River basin to Gulin, Sichuan in the Song and Yuan dynasties, and has a history of more than 600 years. During the Japanese invasion of China, it moved to the Sichuan-Guizhou border via Hunan and was divided into two branches. One went to Qijiang and Tongzi areas, and the other moved to Maoping, the border of Meitan Weng'an in northern Guizhou, and settled there. It has been thriving to this day, and its wedding customs have always maintained a relatively traditional form. Young men and women in Maoping Huamiao mainly get to know each other through mountain-walking activities on March 3, June 6, and September 9 of the lunar calendar every year. Afterwards, the boy tells his parents and asks the matchmaker to take the boy to the girl's home. When they arrive near the girl's home, the boy first blows the reed pipe to inform the girl's parents. The girl's parents use the main room door (divided into large doors and small doors) as a signal. If it is fully opened, it means that the whole family agrees. Opening the large door means that the girl's father agrees, opening the small door means that the girl's mother agrees, and not opening it means that the whole family disagrees. If the whole family agrees, the matchmaker and the boy enter through the main room door and bow in the main room before entering the room and sitting down. During the day, the matchmaker and the girl's parents can only chat about family matters and cannot talk about marriage rashly. After dinner, when it is late at night, they can talk about the purpose of the visit. Otherwise, the girl's parents can ignore them. After both parties agree, the engagement procedure begins. Going to the relatives: It is carried out in three times. The first time you go, you must have two portions of wine or noodles, such as two kilograms of noodles, two kilograms of sugar, etc., to represent couples. If the girl's grandparents are still alive, you must go with one more portion. The time for the next visit is also agreed upon. The second and third visits are the same, except that there is one less portion for the grandparents. After the three visits, the betrothal gifts and matters related to the marriage are agreed upon. Pu Renqin: The introducer takes the gift and gives one to each family of all the relatives and friends of both parties to express an invitation to attend the wedding. The wedding of Maoping Huamiao is very grand and is held in three days. The first day (usually around 8 o'clock in the morning, depending on the distance between the two parties' residences, it can be advanced to 4 or 5 o'clock in the morning or postponed to 4 or 5 o'clock in the afternoon): Prepare items: The groom's family prepares clothes (must have a set of Huamiao clothes, no one can be missing), two chickens (one rooster and one hen, and they cannot be killed, but crushed to death by hand and cooked, and packed in a small basket), and a reed pipe. Setting up a long table: Put a long table in the main hall, put wine, candy, melon seeds, etc. on it. The boy's parents first invite the bride-receiving person, the introducer, the "parents" (referring to the man's uncles), the bride-receiving groom and bride-receiving mother (referring to a lucky couple), the person carrying the basket (responsible for carrying the wedding items, the groom's younger brother or nephew), the groom (the groom's cousin), and the groom to take the seat, and explain the relevant matters of the wedding. The groom kneels down to thank the ancestors: First thank the ancestors in the middle of the main hall, then thank the parents, and then thank the relatives and friends, and say some words of thanks and explanation. Receiving the bride: The bride-receiving person first walks around the long table three times, and then sets off playing the reed pipe. When they arrive near the bride's house, they need to play the reed pipe to inform the bride's family. If they don't play the reed pipe, the bride's family will not welcome them. When they arrive at the courtyard of the bride's house, the bride's family's bride-sending person and the groom's family's bride-receiving person are mixed in with the relatives and friends in turn, and accompany each other according to seniority and titles. After entering the main hall, they also have to walk around the long table three times, with the older generation walking in front and the younger generation walking behind. The groom must sit on the right side above the main hall, and the groomsmen sit side by side on the left side. Then the bride's family starts to serve dishes and toast. There are only four wine glasses, two large and two small. They drink a round of wine and say a few words of honor. The next step is to exchange gifts (counting the gifts prepared by the groom's family), and some polite words are said during the exchange of gifts. After the exchange of gifts, they drink another round of wine, and then the bride's parents come out to pass cigarettes and pour tea. Finally, the groom and the groomsmen begin to kneel down and worship the ancestors of the bride's family. After these ceremonies, they start to eat. After the meal, the relatives who meet and send off the relatives will discuss the relevant matters for the next day together. The next day (usually at three or four in the morning): the ceremony of sending the bride: It is held in the main hall of the bride's family. The bride's "parents" (referring to the bride's uncles) will count the dowry items and hand them over to the groom's "parents". Then, the bride's mother will go to the bride's - and pull the bride out to the main hall to kneel down and worship the ancestors. After the handover ceremony between the bride's parents and the groom's "parents", the people who send the bride and the bride's reception must walk around the long table three times before playing the reed pipe to welcome the bride out. The bride's dowry is usually household items, and a wealthy family will also give a working ox as a dowry. The ceremony of returning the carriage and horse: It is carried out halfway. It is hosted by one of the bride's reception, who takes out the pre-prepared spoon and glutinous rice and places them on the ground, and then the host recites some words to drive away demons and ghosts and bless the bride and groom with peace and happiness. The wedding reception ceremony: It is held in the courtyard of the man's house. The process is: three tables are placed in the courtyard for three winds. The first wind is the wind of the introducer; the second wind is the wind of the parents; the third wind is the wind of the groom and the bride. Then go into the main hall and take seats in turn (the bride must sit in the lower right corner above the main hall). After a round of drinking, the exchange of gifts begins (commonly known as eating chicken heads. The person carrying the basket puts the two chickens from the man's family and the two chickens from the woman's family on the table together for the exchange of gifts. Then the four chickens are handed over to the kitchen for simple processing, and then the people sitting at the long table eat them together. Some exchange of gifts should also be said during the exchange of gifts). Finally, the groom's parents pass cigarettes and pour tea. Hall worship ceremony: The groom does not worship the bride, but the groom (it is said that they are afraid that the bride's body is not clean and will defile the ancestors). This hall worship ceremony is hosted by one person and carried out according to the host's arrangement. First, worship the ancestors, then worship the parents, and then worship the three relatives and six relatives and friends (all the people who come must be worshipped). The hall worship time is as long as about an hour, and the person being worshipped only blesses but does not give money. Drinking miscellaneous wine (jar wine or pole wine): The people who send the bride off are accompanied by peers in order from old to young and from big to small. It usually takes three to five hours to end. Singing and dancing: There is no restriction, and the purpose is to express joy. On the third day (at 4 or 5 o'clock in the morning): Handing over the betrothal gifts (money or things): The groom's parents will bring the agreed betrothal gifts list to the long table in the main hall on a tea tray, and will hand the betrothal gifts to the matchmaker, who will then hand them to the bride's "parents". Handing over the footsteps money: The groom's parents will bring the footsteps money prepared for the bride's uncles and uncles-in-law and the guests to the long table in the main hall on a tea tray, and hand them to the groom's "parents", who will then hand them to the bride's "parents". The guests to the family will give instructions and thank them: The bride's "parents" will give instructions and thank the groom's parents. Sending the guests back to the bride's home: After giving instructions and thanking them, the guests will walk around the long table in the main hall of the groom's home three times before going out and returning. At the same time, the bride will see her off at the gate. The groom will send her off very far, and will not stop until the "parents" who are sending the family tie the red cloth around the groom's waist and throw down a small red envelope (red money). The guests who escorted the bride give the betrothal gifts: After the guests who escorted the bride return to the bride's home, the bride's "parents" hand over the betrothal gifts to the bride's parents in the main hall, and the bride's parents express their gratitude. Naming the groom: When the last banquet is set up at the groom's home, the person with the highest generation and prestige must rename the groom (the original name is the milk name), which means that he has officially started a family. There are also particularities in naming. The first character must be the same as the first character of his grandfather's name, so that the roots from generation to generation will not be messed up. The bride and groom enter the bridal chamber: There is no special ceremony, but they must wait until all relatives and friends have left before they can enter the bridal chamber. During the three days of the wedding, various ceremonies continue, so all those who send the bride and those who receive the bride (including the bride and groom) cannot sleep for three days and three nights. Returning to the parents' home: Half a month after the wedding, the bride's sister will come to pick her up and return to the parents' home. After the bride has lived in her parents' home for half a month to a month, she will be taken back by the groom, and the marriage is over. The marriage customs of the Maoping Hua Miao people are significantly different from those of other ethnic groups. First, when picking up the bride, two chickens must be prepared, a rooster and a hen. They cannot be killed, but must be crushed to death and cooked. Secondly, there are strict regulations on the number of people picking up the bride. The number of people picking up the bride must be an odd number, and the sum of the number of people sending the bride and the number of people picking up the bride must be an even number. In addition, couplets are not written when welcoming the bride, and suona is not played, only reed pipes are played. Thirdly, gifts and gifts are not received in the main hall, which means that money is regarded as dirt. Of course, the most distinctive feature is that the groom and the groom (his cousin) perform the ceremony when worshipping in the hall, instead of the bride. The life rituals of the Maoping Hua Miao people retain the traditional folk culture of the Miao people. The process of its occurrence and development reflects the unique cultural values of the Maoping Hua Miao people. It is an important basis for studying the world outlook and living conditions of the Miao people, and plays an irreplaceable role in folklore research. Due to the lack of written records, the marriage customs of the Maoping Hua Miao people are basically passed on orally, from generation to generation, and are all passed on by a single person. With the development of society, the exchanges between Hua Miao and the outside world are becoming more and more frequent, especially the ideas and concepts of young people have begun to change dramatically, and the inherent cultural psychology of the nation has been lost, resulting in the traditional marriage customs facing a severe survival crisis.