Eating Leftovers In the Wuxuan Zhuang area, before a girl got married, she would have her last meal at her parents' home. She would fill a large bowl with rice and put a chicken leg on top. She would be fed by her relatives. At the end, she would have to leave a few mouthfuls of rice in the bowl with the chicken leg. She could not drink all the soup. This meant that she would leave something for her parents' home and not take all the food away, to show her filial piety and loyalty. Some people would feed the remaining food and soup to livestock. It is said that if pigs and chickens eat them, they will grow fast and the livestock will be prosperous. Some people would dry the leftovers and put them in a rice jar, so that her parents' home would have enough food and clothing every year. If she finished the meal before leaving, she would be considered to care only about her parents-in-law and not her parents' home. This custom is still popular in remote Zhuang families. However, the bride can eat by herself without being fed by others. Some people also refuse to eat to oppose this old custom. Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, marriages between men and women were mostly arranged by their parents. The man's family selects an auspicious day to welcome the bride. During the ceremony of worshipping in the hall, if the groom is away on a long journey, studying, escaping from marriage, or bedridden due to illness, his parents will grab a big rooster to worship heaven, earth and ancestors with the bride. The practice is to first dress the big rooster in red and wear flowers to perform the wedding ceremony on behalf of the groom. After the guests and friends fire cannons to congratulate and lead the bride into the bridal chamber, the rooster can be grabbed and put into the newly decorated cage to rest and eat (with rich food waiting). The "bridegroom" (rooster) is frightened and keeps clucking, which immediately makes the crowd watching the ceremony burst into laughter. This custom continued until the early days of liberation and gradually disappeared. However, in some remote villages, an auspicious day is still chosen. If the groom is unable to worship in the hall due to illness, a man of the same class and age will be found in the family to replace the groom to worship in the hall and complete the marriage. This is much better than using a rooster to replace him. The guide chicken is also called "follow-foot chicken" and is a token commonly used by the Zhuang and other ethnic groups. First, on the third day after a woman gets married (early), the couple returns to her parents' home. On the evening of the same day or the next day, her parents' home will give her a chicken to lead the way (a chicken to follow her foot), to show that after she gets married, she must not forget the way to her parents' home, and must come back often. With this vigorous rooster leading the way, she will not get lost. Second, after the birth of the first child, after the full month, the couple will carry the child back to her parents' home to visit relatives. When they return to their husband's home, the grandmother or aunt will give the nephew a chicken to lead the way (either male or female), to show that they care for the child like a hen holding her child and watch him (her) grow up. When they are on the road to wealth and honor, they must not forget the way to their parents' home. "Guiding chicken" is a kind of auspicious blessing, so they choose a vigorous young rooster. If they don't have one at home, they can borrow someone else's. "Three days", "seven days" and "twelve days" on the celebration days of the three days, the seven mornings and the twelve days are the birth customs of the Zhuang people. On the third day after the birth of a child, a chicken is killed to worship the grandfather (the ancestor), which is called "three days". If it is a boy, ginger slices should be pounded and mixed with chicken and cooked for worship; if it is a girl, ginger shreds should be cut and mixed with chicken and cooked for worship. It is said that boys are afraid of the third, sixth and ninth days (i.e., boys are in trouble on the third, sixth and ninth days); girls are afraid of the first, fourth and seventh days (i.e., girls are in trouble on the first, fourth and seventh days). If they can safely get through these difficulties, they can be raised to adulthood. It saves the baby from the "four and six winds" (i.e., "drug wind" and "tetanus") and the mother from the "puerperal wind" (i.e., tetanus) and die prematurely. Therefore, the "three days", "seven mornings" and "twelve days" are regarded as major events. Some adults in the family take turns to hold the baby day and night within twelve days after the baby is born, and do not let the baby sleep alone in the bed. During the twelve days, the grandmother and aunt bring chicken and ginger wine to congratulate the nephew for escaping danger and comforting the mother for good luck and health. On the seventh day after the birth of a child, it is called "the second day" (i.e. avoiding "four-six wind"). On this day, chickens are killed to worship the ancestors, and peaches and grapefruit leaves are used to bathe the baby to drive away evil spirits. The grandmother and relatives and friends send chickens, eggs, glutinous rice wine, and children's clothes and other gifts to congratulate the mother and baby, bring blessings, and bring good luck. The host must hold a banquet to entertain. On the twelfth day after the birth of a child, it is called "passing three barriers to ensure safety" (i.e. getting rid of "puerperal wind", "drug-borne wind", and "tetanus"), and the mother and child have passed twelve difficult barriers. On this day, the host family will hold a big banquet, congratulate grandly, and make a public announcement, or notify relatives and friends to attend the banquet. Some people kill pigs, chickens, and ducks to prepare delicacies to welcome guests. The grandmother and aunt of the mother's family invite the female relatives of the clan to carry the load (including chickens, eggs, glutinous rice wine, fortune cakes, rice, and the child's hat, skirt, and clothes) to come and congratulate. The vast majority of the guests who come to participate in the "three mornings", "seven mornings", and "twelve mornings" are female guests. In the old society, the working people had a lack of medical care and medicine, and it was difficult to raise the children they gave birth to. Some people believed in gods and evil spirits, and went to witches to tell fortunes, ask gods and ghosts, and ask shamans to exorcise evil spirits. Later, a Taoist master from Maoshan said that if a child died in the "third day", "seventh day" or "twelfth day", it was not a trick of demons, but the ox-headed and horse-faced gods sent by King Yama to take him away. As long as a "foot lock" or "neck collar" was put on a child, he could pass the "twelve gates" and ensure safety. So people believed it. This custom was passed down from generation to generation. Generally, it had to be worn until the child was 12 years old before it could be removed to escape danger. In recent years, with the development of Zhuang culture and education, the masses have armed their minds with scientific knowledge, and the old customs have gradually disappeared. Only a very small number of Zhuang people living in remote mountain lanes still retain them. "Foot locks" and "neck collars" are made of silver or copper, and a few are made of iron wire plated with silver. They are designed to prevent evil spirits from invading. It is actually a spiritual shackle imposed on the neck and feet of children, which should be abolished as soon as possible. Headband hat Headband hat is a clothing custom of the Zhuang ethnic group. After married women move into their husband's family, they often wear a black headband hat without a top, with a green bead inlaid in the middle of the hat edge in front of their forehead to show that they have a spouse. If a man blindly pursues a woman, he will be regarded as confused and ignorant, and even ridiculed and mocked by people in society. There is still a saying circulating in the urban and rural areas of Wuxuan County: "If the eyes are not precious, the girl calls the sister-in-law a pumpkin as a head bag, and the sister-in-law calls the girl a girl" to mock and ridicule those men who blindly pursue love without knowing whether the other party is married or unmarried.