Wedding Dress of Tuyao at Hezhou: Bodily Practice and Rite of Passage of a Minority in China

Abstract

This study is a qualitative study. This study uses the following main concepts: Rite of Passage, Bodily Practice, Symbolic Interactionism. There are four research objectives, which are as follows: first, study the history of Tuyao nationality in Hezhou, the emergence of wedding ceremony and the development of wedding dresses; Secondly, study the ceremony process of Tuyao wedding from the dimension of Rite of Passage; Thirdly, study the Bodily Practice of Tuyao people in wedding ceremony; Fourthly, it analyzes the wedding dress of Tuyao from the dimension of Symbolic Interactionism.

Tuyao is a branch of Yao family in China. At present, there are only about 8500 Tuyao people in the world. Tuyao nationality in Pinggui District of Hezhou lives in the depths of Dagui Mountains all the year round, and is a relatively closed minority living in remote mountainous areas. Tuyao nationality created and developed its own costume culture under special living space and conditions. Moreover, wedding dress is passed down from generation to generation with the memory and change of wedding customs culture. Because Tuyao costumes not only participated in an important ceremony for the bride and groom, but also participated in the expression of Tuyao people's reproduction mode, ethnic beliefs and identities and values.

This study uses three concepts: Rite of Passage, Bodily Practice, Symbolic Interactionism to study and analyze the wedding dress of Tuyao. The bride and groom dress up to complete the whole process of the wedding ceremony, which is the traditional culture and social memory inherited by the Tuyao nationality in Hezhou through bodily practice for hundreds of years. "Wedding" is the most important "rite of passage" in Tuyao people's life. The bride and groom wear wedding dresses to attend the ceremony all the way, so wedding dresses become the main bodily practice. Through weddings, Tuyao people realize the transformation of identity and status, so ritual has become an important research context.

Tuyao couples wear wedding dresses and practice bodily according to the "wedding style" of unique social memory handed down. During the whole wedding ceremony, all the ceremonial behaviors of the bride and groom are completed under the condition of wearing wedding dresses. For example, many people assisted in wearing wedding dresses, hundreds of people sent for marriage, the ceremony of telling ancestors led by Shigong, the ceremony of "blocking eight roads", the ceremony of "entering blessings", and the ceremony of toasting and offering tea at a long table banquet, all of which were completed under the condition of wearing wedding costumes. When all the performances are completed, the "rite of passage" of Tuyao people is also completed, and the bride and groom also complete the identity transformation and construct a new identity. Therefore, Tuyao wedding ceremony is one of the most important "Rite of Passage" in Tuyao people's lives.Therefore, to study the bodily practice of wedding ceremony is to study the practice of wedding dress.

This study also analyzes the wedding dress of Tuyao from the dimension of Symbolic Interactionism. As a passing ceremony, all the items appearing in Tuyao's wedding ceremony are no longer daily attributes, but become special symbols. Especially wedding dress, when it appears in the wedding ceremony field, it completes every link of the ceremony with every action of the bride and groom, and then helps the bride and groom to complete the identity change. Therefore, every component of it, from hat, chest ornaments, skirt to clothing color, etc., has become a unique and meaningful symbol. These symbols interact with different characters in the wedding theater in the ceremony field. Therefore, this study also analyzes the significance of each part of Tuyao wedding dress in the process of interaction with people from the dimension of Symbolic Interactionism.

The title of this study is - Wedding Dress of Tuyao at Hezhou: Bodily Practice and Rite of Passage of a Minority in China. To sum up, in my research, I studied the social and historical background of Tuyao, the emergence of wedding ceremony and wedding dress, studied the wedding ceremony process of Tuyao from the dimension of ceremony, studied the bodily practice of Tuyao people in wedding ceremony, and analyzed the wedding dress of Tuyao from the dimension of symbolic interactionism. Through the above research, this paper discusses the symbolic connotation of Tuyao wedding dress and the role and significance of the inheritance of Tuyao wedding dress to the development of Tu Yao culture, and puts forward how to protect Tuyao dress culture, keep the diversity of minority culture and explore the significance of minority dress culture in modern society under the background of national integration.

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