introduction
Marriage was originally defined as the union and procreation of the sexes, but marriage was also an important source of the emergence of a new society. To examine the legal status of women in marriage in the Song Dynasty, we must start with the process of concluding marriage in the Song Dynasty.
Procedures for entering into marriage
The procedure for marriage in the Song Dynasty was based on inheritance of the previous dynasty and simplified with the economic and social development of the time. Before the Song Dynasty, marriage must go through six ceremonies, namely: Natsai, Qingming, Najib, Nazheng, Invitation, and Greeting. This program is the basic program of traditional marriage in the mainland, which began in the Zhou Dynasty and was perfected in the Han Dynasty. After the completion of the recruitment procedure, it marks the determination of the marriage contract between the man and the woman, so the recruitment is also called Nacheng.
During the Song Dynasty, the palace carried out many ceremonial activities, stipulating that marriages with officials of various grades in the court must be carried out in accordance with the six rite procedures, while for the wedding of Shishu, "and ask for the name of Natsai and ask for the date of Nacheng", and reduced the six rites to four rites such as Natsai, Najib, Nazheng, and Qinwei. These four rituals are divided into three steps: discussing relatives, determining relatives, and becoming relatives.
Second, the Song Dynasty view of "parents' orders"
The main marriage of the marriage is usually the first order of grandparents, parents, then the elder relatives, and then the remaining relatives. Parents marry, both the common and the royal family. Empress Dowager Liu chose Guo's daughter as the empress for Emperor Renzong's master, and when Empress Guo was deposed by Renzong because of a dispute with two beauties, Monk and Yang, she was strongly opposed by the ministers, because Emperor Renzong had not consulted his father after his abolition. Therefore, the marriage of the common people is generally presided over and agreed upon by the father.
The law draws on the essence of traditional Chinese rites and religions, and for marriage problems formed against the will of the elder, the descendants must be scuttled or the wedding is canceled. Once the marriage violates the ceremonial law, the main responsibility of the main marriage person will be held second, and only then the responsibility of the married man and woman.
The essence of traditional rule of law is inherited in liturgical religion, and it is believed that the functions and tasks of parents' main marriage should be cautious and strict. At the same time, it is also specified that the marriage of children must be reported to the patriarch, and the patriarch is in charge. If he is in charge, the patriarch will inform the whole clan that "people of the Tong clan will not be called by relatives in the meeting."
Third, the Song Dynasty view of "the words of the matchmaker"
In ancient times, marriage was held in the family, so there must be special people to exchange information between the two families. "In the law of marriage, there will be a mediator." "The media, the conspiracy, the conspiracy of the two surnames." "Concubine, consider the second surname." This is a prerequisite for the existence of the matchmaking system. The matchmaking system is also valued by traditional etiquette law, and marriages established without matchmaking or colloquialism are condemned by public opinion and despised by the world.
The responsibility of the matchmaker in the process of entering into the marriage of the couple is second only to that of the main marriage. The norms of etiquette and the strict restrictions on interpersonal communication in ancient China created space for matchmakers to play. In the Song Dynasty, the power of the Bianjing matchmakers was already very strong, and a professional guild was established to carry out marriage ceremonial activities. Because the matchmaker's guild has close contacts with the government, is controlled by the government and is supported by the government, the matchmaker's words have become one of the important conditions for the establishment of ordinary people's marriages.
epilogue
There are clouds in the poem "Qi Feng Nanshan": "If you take a wife as it is, you will tell your parents", "If you take a wife as it is, bandits must not be matched". 17 That is, to marry a wife, the opinion of the parents is consulted, and the matchmaker agrees. The ancients paid attention to family interests, so the marriage of children was usually decided by grandparents, parents and other main marriages. "Parents' Orders, Matchmakers' Words" describes the marital status at the time.
Bibliography:
[1] Shen Yao, Book of Song.