The Tumut Mongol tribe stationed in the Ming Dynasty on the Tumut River Plain has a history of nearly 500 years. Among some of the ancient customs prevalent in the Tumut Mongols, there is a custom of recognizing a "combing head" on the door of the in-laws for a married daughter, which is called "Mozhigule Sheng'eji" in Mongolian, which means "combing mother" in Chinese.
The custom of "combing one's hair" is closely related to the sparsely populated living environment of the Mongolian people. In Mongolian families, whenever a daughter reaches the age of talking about marriage and marriage, when choosing a lifelong partner, she often has to go to the same ethnic group in a distant place to choose, so that the daughter who marries to a distant place cannot see her parents for a year, and the parents are worried that she is not used to marrying into the in-laws' family, and the mother's parents cannot take care of it, so they recognize a "combing head" for the daughter on the door of the in-laws' house, so that the daughter has a relative to take care of.
In the Mongolian ethnic group, this unique way of recognizing relatives is that some of the father's parents find the future daughter-in-law in advance, and some of the woman's parents personally find it on the door of their in-laws' house. In general, the choice is made in the man's station, and if there is no suitable candidate, it is necessary to choose from the Mongolian family near the station. The selection criteria for "Combing Her Hair" are middle-aged women with good character, good hearts, and high moral standing, who are considered to be her own children for life.
The Mongolian people attach great importance to the wedding ceremony of the newlyweds, just one day before the marriage, the man's family will hold a blessing feast for the newlyweds (sons), blessing the son to grow up and marry his daughter-in-law, and a new member of the family is added.
The woman's family also holds a grand wedding feast the day before the daughter gets married, because from then on the daughter has to leave her parents, brothers, and sisters to independently assume a new family, which is also called the girl's banquet, which is a life station for the girl to mature. The Mongolian people retain the traditional marriage custom of the man going to the woman's home to stay and marry, and the marriage usually arrives at the woman's home the day before the wedding day.
Mongolian wedding
At the wedding, the Mongolians attach great importance to the distribution (hairstyle) of the bride, when the bride is married back to the groom's home, first presided over by the combing of the head, the bride washes her face, changes clothes, and then holds a fire worship ceremony, at which time the groom and the bride both walk hand in hand from between the two piles of fire, accept the dust of the fire, so that their love is more pure and happy, and their life is more sweet and sweet. After the bride and groom enter the marriage room, prostrate themselves to the Altar of the Buddha, and then meet the in-laws and relatives and friends who came to congratulate, at this time the comb head Erji wearing a new and gorgeous Mongolian robe sat on the kang, the bride snuggled next to the comb head Erji, the comb head Erji used the bride's dowry basin filled with water, and then used the bride's new comb to distribute the comb, first with the left hand to hold the bride's hair, the right hand to take the comb to wet the hair with water, and then dipped in white fresh milk to divide the bride's youthful and beautiful hair from the top to the bottom from the middle into two halves, combed into two braids, Tie a bow with a red head rope, and then wear a silver headdress with a chain hanging from the bride when she marries, indicating that from then on from a girl to a daughter-in-law, it is a major turning point in the bride's life, it is the beginning of a beautiful new life, in the hearts of Mongolians, only married women can wear headdresses.
The bride's hair comb distribution means that the marriage life is smooth and smooth, full of roundness, white head and old age, and the comb hair Eji is an unforgettable relative of the bride in her life, because in her life there is one more Eji who cares for and loves her. After the wedding feast begins, the groom and groom are invited to sit in the main seat (chairman), and the bride and groom first toast her with the first glass of wine.
According to the old chagan lotus flower of Chifeng City's Weng Niu Te Banner Bagatara SumuQi Gangacha, the Weng Niu Te Mongols, like other Mongolians, hold a grand and lively wedding for the newlyweds, and also choose a "comb head Eji" for the daughter who marries out. The bride who marries back is reamed by combing her hair and eji (opening her face), which is done by twisting it together with a white line, and then flicking it open with her hands, and removing the hair on her face with a tight and loose one, making the face more bright and feminine. Chagan Lotus Old Man said: "The face is an indispensable part of the marriage of the Mongolian bride of OngNiut, which is also a beautiful joyful process of happiness and companionship from a girl to a daughter-in-law, followed by the distribution of combs, mongolian called Uge Bao gefu, usually with a horn comb dipped in fresh milk comb hair, braided into two long braids, and then the braids are coiled in a circle on the bride's head, and then put on the inlaid agate, coral, pearls in one Mongolian bride headdress. Finally, the old man said with a very heavy heart: "In recent decades, the customs of the face and pan head of the Mongolian girl in Weng Niu te when they got married, with the change of the times, are only in the form, and there is a possibility of being lost, which is a pity!" ”
It is not difficult to see in the custom of the Tumut Mongols combing their hair and Eji and the Ongniut Mongols combing their hair more than a thousand miles away, that the east and west have both a common side and a side that varies from place to place, although the Mongolians in both places live in a vast and beautiful grassland, and they are separated by thousands of miles, but they all have common characteristics and the same customs, which embody the unique traditional customs and culture of the vast number of Mongolians.
In the 1930s and 1940s, this ancient custom still continued among the Tumut Mongols, and my grandmother, Li Sannu, was chosen as the Comb head erji, who was born in a Mongolian family in Tumut Bikqilapu Lane in the 30th year of Guangxu (1904), and was intelligent since childhood, although she did not go to school, but in her embodied the courage of an enlightened, simple, knowledgeable, and considerate Mongolian woman. She and Sharqin Village Rong Liujin are uncles, when she was seventeen years old, she was married by her cousin Rong Liujin to the Mongolian family surnamed Li in Sharqin Village, and after coming to the Li family, she got along with her neighbors and clans in harmony, was charitable, and won the admiration and appreciation of the whole village.
Just when his cousin Rong Liujin's second son Rong Guilin (Rong Shanggui) married a new daughter-in-law, Rong Liujin chose his cousin Li Sannu as his daughter-in-law as a combing head, so that the hair-combing girl called Li Sannu as Eji, while the son-in-law Guilin (originally a grandmother's cousin and nephew) was still called an aunt, which can be described as a relative of two parents, and this combination is envied by the villagers. The grandmother's combed hair maiden's mother's family is the daughter of Yun Shui Narcissus in the village of Tumut Left Banner Subr gai, and the girl is kind, industrious and kind, and is a simple and good daughter-in-law. Since the recognition of relatives, he and his grandmother, mother and daughter are like parents, and they have been like one day for decades, with a heart-to-heart and without losing the hope of the public, leaving a model for the world to do things.
Combing the head of the Eji and combing the hair of the girl is like the relationship between the biological parents and children, every New Year's Day, the comb of the head of the Eji with gifts to personally visit the girlfriend, when the girl gives birth to a child in confinement, comb the head of the Eji waiting for him, carefully waiting for care, usually combing the head of the Eji also every three to five to take the girl home to live in small, and take out the best food in the family to entertain the girlfriend and grandchildren.
As a combing girl, she also attaches great importance to and cherishes the relationship with the combing of the head of the Eji family, and also integrates herself into the big family of the combing of the Eji, whenever the combing of the head of the Eji family to hold a red and white wedding banquet, the combing girl and son-in-law bring gifts together to help and congratulate, to do the same filial piety and responsibility as the biological daughter.
There is a proverb in the Mongolian people that says: A wise and virtuous girl can make the whole village her mother-in-law, which is her pride, and it is also the simple, kind and selfless Mongolian folk custom.
The combed head erji and the combed girl's Abba and Eji also became relatives, called in Mongolian: Kud Urige, so that the two families have established a relationship of kinship and more affection.
Soon after the comb girl becomes a family, if she encounters difficulties in life and production, then the comb girl will call on all family members to lend a helping hand, and the rich will pay for it, and some people will help the comb girl through the difficulties of life.
These ancient customs of the Tumut Mongols have become a special chain of increasing family affection between the Mongols, and they still retain and continue this family affection, sometimes everyone sits together and nags, and takes the initiative to introduce each other to the guests We are relatives, and secondly, from this Mongolian folklore, we can see that the Mongolian people are open-minded, kind and selfless people, believing that other people's children and their own children are the same affection.
Although the Tumut Mongol custom of combing their hair and erji is gradually fading away, especially in today's wave of urbanization, it is gradually forgotten. However, this is not a custom of relatives being better than relatives, and has become an unforgettable memory for future generations.
This article was published in the 2nd issue of inner Mongolia Archives and Social Journals in 2021
【About the author】Li Xiaoqing, (Mongolian name, Siqing Bilig) was born on October 15, 1960 in Sharqin Village, Tumut Zuoqi, graduated from Tumut Zuoqi NationalIties Middle School in July 1979, went to the Countryside to learn Mongolian in the Aridian Lisu Brigade of the Honggel Commune of the Four Sons of the Wu league on September 18 of the same year, was admitted to the Agricultural Bank of Inner Mongolia in July 1980, was assigned to work in the Agricultural Bank of Siziwangqi, and has been transferred to the Hohhot Branch of the Agricultural Bank of China in May 1995.
Editor: Founder of Tumut Voice: Ren Ruixin