Mysterious traditional ghost wedding ceremony of Aizhai extra-large suspension bridge in Jishou, Hunan Province
In Aizhai Village, Jishou City, Hunan Province, there is a large suspension bridge, which is called "ghost bridge" by the locals. Every year on the 14th day of June, the local people will hold a mysterious traditional ceremony on this bridge-ghost marriage.
The origin of ceremony
According to local people, the origin of this ceremony can be traced back to the Qing Dynasty. At that time, there was a girl named Yang in Aizhai Village who was forced to marry a rich boy because of her poor family. However, this rich boy was laughed at by his family because he married a poor girl. So, he abandoned Miss Yang on the wedding day, and Miss Yang was heartbroken and finally chose to commit suicide.
Since then, Miss Yang in Aizhai Village has become a ghost and often haunts the village. In order to appease the ghost, the local people began a mysterious ghost wedding ceremony.
Operation steps of the ceremony
The ceremony of ghost marriage is very complicated and needs to go through many steps:
1. Choose the bride and groom
Before the ceremony, it is necessary to choose a village girl as the bride and a villager as the groom. These two people must be unmarried and begin abstinence three days before the ceremony.
Prepare wedding supplies
Before the ceremony, wedding supplies should be prepared, including firecrackers, red cloth, HongLing, flowers, incense sticks and so on.
hold a wedding ceremony
On the night of June 14th of the lunar calendar, local people will build a simple wedding venue on the ghost bridge. The bride and groom will wear traditional wedding dresses respectively, and then perform traditional wedding ceremonies, including offering tea and kowtowing.
Lighting firecrackers
Halfway through the ceremony, local people will set off firecrackers to drive away evil spirits.
Sacrifice to a ghost
After the ceremony, the local people will sacrifice to Miss Yang's ghost at the foot of Ghost Bridge to seek her forgiveness and blessing.
The significance of ceremony
The ghost wedding ceremony is of great significance to the local people. First of all, you can appease Miss Yang's ghost and let her rest in peace. Secondly, it can also make local people feel the charm of traditional culture and enhance their cultural identity. Finally, it can also promote the cohesion of the local community and make everyone more United and harmonious.
final result
Although there are many legends and traditions, the mysterious ghost wedding ceremony is also a part of local life. In this ceremony, we can see the local people cherish and inherit the traditional culture, and also feel their pursuit of community harmony. Ghost marriage of Aizhai suspension bridge in Jishou, Hunan Province is a mysterious and beautiful traditional ceremony, which deserves our attention and research.