Rite & Traditional Custom, nominee
Wedding of Huayao Nationality
Liu Qihou(China)

  Huayao, a branch of the Yao People, live in Longhui County, Hunan Province. They seldom leave their village, so their traditional customs are still maintained.
Their wedding customs are very unique. Different from many Chinese nationalities, the matchmaker is not a woman, but a man who is good at persuading and much esteemed in society.
The symbol of the matchmaker is an oiled-paper umbrella that does not open. The other people show no special concern for the bride and groom on the wedding day. The groom helps with the housework or like the other villagers, carries a shoulder pole loaded with wedding gifts. The new couple is not permitted to sleep that night, they have to sit in the sitting room for the whole night, while other people celebrate outside.		  
   
  4. The matchmaker is forced by the sisters to carry several loads of mud back home.  
   
  5. After 4 rounds of wine, the matchmaker is leaving. However, the sisters throw mud on him.  
   
  6. The more mud there is, the happier the new couple will be, and the more properous the village will be. So the clothes, thick with mud, will be hung for 3 days before they are washed.  

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