傳統習俗中的嫁女歸寧 = Married Women’s Birth Family Visit in Traditional Chinese Society--A Study of the Tradition and Its Social Meanings
Resource
臺大中文學報, 14, 173-219
Journal
臺大中文學報
Journal Issue
14
Pages
173-219
Date Issued
2001-05
Date
2001-05
Author(s)
Peng, M.L.
Abstract
In recent years, women research has been a fast growing study area. In response of the trend of referring to women as "the second sex," researchers have started to discuss traditional women's life in the light of a non-traditional sense. Despite this effort, researchers still find themselves focusing on old issues. Marriage, unavoidably, is still the major topic of the discussion of traditional Chinese women's life. However, aspects of traditional Chinese women's life in a marriage, not the marriage itself, are rarely discussed. In addition to topics such as married women's status in the new family, issues of inheritance, and individual's free wills, topics such as married women's daily life and interpersonal relationships are especially in need of more researches. This article is an discussion on the social meanings of married women's birth family visits. By analyzing ancient scripture and documents, the author tries to outline the tradition and the significance involved in the birth family visit of traditional married women in China. Before Chin Dynasty, married women in noble class have practiced birth family visit following a traditionally calendared schedule. However, there was a gradual change into more diverse activity types and more flexible schedule. According to the folklore records in "Fong Chi(方志）," we can find many interesting phenomena. In addition to the traditional birth home visit as a part of their wedding customs and other home visits for various reasons, married women usually visited their birth home following the folk calendar, usually on important holidays. At some point in the history, there was even "Daughter's Day," which implied the significance of the home visit of married women in traditional Chinese society. There was also gift-exchanging custom in the visit, which involved the birth family, the married woman, and her husband's family. This promoted communication and improved relationships between two families. From traditional Chinese folk songs, we can also find out that married women's birth home visit usually were the background and basis of relationships among women in the two families, such as mother-daughter, aunt-niece, and other female family members relationships. Traditional married women in China stayed home most of their time. A birth home visit is an important way for them to keep connected with their birth family members, to release boredom and stress from their daily life, and to provide the communicating occasions for both sides of family. This article is an attempt to discuss the social function and significance that are involved in the birth family visit of traditional married women in China.
Subjects
習俗
婚姻
婦女
親屬
節日
Custom
Marriage
Women
Relation
Holiday
Type
journal article