Since ancient times, wherever there are human activities, there are marriage customs, and they have formed a system. According to the local chronicles of the city: in ancient times, men and women or wedding gifts were geese, and there was a written record that "geese wait for the yin and yang, wait for the time to rise, winter south and summer north, it is precious to have their own place". In the early 1980s, Shajiabang Town unearthed several stone knives, stone axes and black pottery in Lingyunbang and Bize respectively, which were verified to be Neolithic relics. This shows that as early as more than 4,500 years ago, there were ancestors living here and multiplying. In other words, since then, there has been a relatively primitive regional marriage custom here. The earliest written record of love between men and women can be found in the poem "Reeds" in the Book of Songs, which sings: "Reeds are green, white dew turns to frost, the so-called Yi Ren, is on the other side of the water". This poem is divided into three chapters, with water towns and reeds as the specific background, telling the pursuit and distress of love. More customs reflecting marriage and love in waterside villages can be found in folk songs widely circulated among the people. People in Shajiabang call the day of the wedding ceremony "Zhengri", the day before Zhengri "Qian Sanchao", and the day after Zhengri "Hou Sanchao". The wedding banquet usually lasts for three days, and Zhengri is the most grand and lively. 1. Qian Sanchao is the day for finishing work and inviting accountants, matchmakers, friends, and distant relatives. The so-called finishing work means inviting chefs and accountants to come in and make preparations for the wedding banquet. The accountant is mainly responsible for handling various expenses and incomes in the marriage. In the old days, accountants were generally used by wealthy families. Now that living conditions are better, accountants are generally used. Waiting for the matchmaker: After lunch, the man's side sends a boat to carry the matchmaker. There are usually 2 to 3 matchmakers, one for the man and one for the woman, commonly known as walking matchmakers (i.e., the man and the woman have to walk around), and some women also have an elder as a matchmaker, commonly known as sitting matchmakers (i.e., they do not walk around). The boat is very busy to pick up the matchmaker, and it often takes more than half a day. Generally, one table is set up for the matchmaker. If there are three matchmakers, two tables are set up. They are treated the same as the bride and groom. The table should be placed in the middle, surrounded by a platform with patterns such as "treasure bowl and unicorn delivering a child". To show respect, the matchmaker on the female side is asked to sit at the top, and the matchmaker on the male side is asked to sit at the bottom, accompanied by others. After the matchmaker is served, the matchmaker is treated the same as other guests. 2. The wedding ceremony is held on the first day, which is very grand. From the wedding to the new house, there are many colorful rituals and customs, with dozens of them. (1) Welcoming the bride: Chinese culture originated in the Yellow River Basin, and wedding customs are no exception. In the water town wedding customs of Shajiabang Town, in addition to the sedan chair in the northern wedding customs, there must be a wedding boat. Because there are many waterways in the south of the Yangtze River, it is impossible to marry the bride without a boat. The wedding boat is decorated gorgeously, with two oars for rowing, and some even have two oars on the bow. It is often much faster than ordinary boats, and is commonly known as "fast boat" or "pond boat". In ancient times, the wedding was held at dusk, and the meaning of wedding lies in this. "Marriage" is a pictophonetic character, and part of it is here. On that day, the groom must take a shower, wash his hair, get a haircut, and then wear a top hat and a brand new uniform. He will be accompanied by his second master, prepare a sedan chair, bring a wedding team, including a band, and sit on the "fast boat". They will play music along the way to the bride's home to marry the bride. The wedding team imitates the imperial guard of honor, and is so magnificent that even if the official boats meet, they will give way. The groom must bring gifts, in plates, usually six plates, eight plates, or sixteen plates. The gifts include: two fish (grass carp or black carp), a pair of chickens (male and female), two jars of wine, two pork legs, two steamed cakes, as well as dates, red eggs, cigarettes, etc. Generally, the groom must arrive at noon. When arriving at the bride's house, the groom cannot enter the house immediately. First, the second master must enter the house to report and give "lucky money" (red envelopes with money inside) to the kitchen chef and accountant, and then the bride's brother or younger brother will come out to greet him. Some have to wait for a long time, saying that it is to "remove the groom's temper." In the central hall, the groom must pay respects to his father-in-law, mother-in-law and the bride's uncle. The bride must offer tea to the groom three times, commonly known as "three cups of tea." Afterwards, the bride must serve "happy balls" for the groom to eat. After eating the happy balls, the bride and groom can be happy and reunited. After eating the happy balls, a banquet is held to entertain the groom. In the afternoon, when the groom is going home, he must go to the women's room to pay respects to his mother-in-law and listen to her many instructions about marriage. Then he returns to the hall to pay respects and pay respects to the elders and peers of the bride's side one by one. When paying respects, the elders of the bride's side must take out red envelopes (meeting gifts) for the groom, which are usually collected by the second master. (2) Opening the face: After the groom's wedding boat arrives, the bride begins to dress up. Opening the face is an important step. According to old customs, women must not shave their facial hair unless they are getting married. The method of opening the face is for an experienced woman (usually a bridesmaid) to use a tough thin thread, cross it with her hands, and press it against the face of the bride. Then, by stretching her hands, she can pluck out the hair on her face, making her face bright and clean. The person responsible for opening the face must be a "lucky person", that is, someone who has parents, brothers and sisters. After the opening of the face, a thank-you gift is given. Next, the bride is put on the phoenix crown and bridal robe, commonly known as "shang gaittou". (3) Crying for the bride: After dressing up, the bride is helped out of the room by the bridesmaid, and then carried (or held) by her brother to the sedan chair. The groom has to pay "bao jiu dian". The bride cries as she gets into the sedan chair, and her mother also cries. Crying at this time is considered a good omen. The louder the crying, the wealthier the husband's family will be. Therefore, the custom of "crying for the bride" became very popular.