Chapter 9 Section 7 Marriage and Love Customs

In the Zhou Dynasty, when marriage could not be established by "the order of the parents and the words of the matchmaker", the free contact between the sexes began to be greatly restricted. However, due to the lingering legacy of primitive society, this kind of free contact is still generally regarded as Naturally and reasonably, it is a social concept gradually formed after the Qin and Han Dynasties to regard free love between men and women as lascivious behavior.In addition, the rulers of the Zhou Dynasty pursued the policy of "no courteousness to ordinary people, no punishment to high officials", and they did not interfere much with old folk customs. For the needs of population growth, young men and women were encouraged to meet at specific times.In such a relatively relaxed background, it is relatively common for young men and women to communicate freely before they get married.

According to records, from peach blossom water in February in February to Shangsi Festival in March 3rd, and the mulberry picking season in early summer, it is a good day for young men and women to get together, have fun, sing and love each other. "The Book of Songs Zheng Feng Qin Wei [zhenwei Zhenwei]" described the scene at that time as follows: Qin and Wei, Fang Huanhuan, scholars and women, Fang Binglan.The woman said: "Will you watch?" The scholar said: "And now." . In the bright and beautiful spring season, in the Qinwei River Basin surrounded by mountains and rivers, young men and women of Zheng State gather in groups, holding orchids in their hands, joking with each other, and presenting beautiful peony flowers to each other. picture. "The Book of Songs·Wei Feng·Papaya" also describes the scene where young men and women fall in love with each other in labor and give each other gifts: "Throw me a papaya, and repay it with Qiongju (jade pendant). That's good too."

Women at that time were often eagerly looking forward to love, and boldly pursued it. When they were not in love, they were lingering and resentful, and once they were in love, they tried to gain the upper hand. "The Book of Songs · Beifeng · Jingnv" describes a young girl who, on the day of a tryst, hides quietly in the corner of the city, letting the man who comes to the appointment wait there "in love but not seeing, scratching his head and hesitating", watching his lover scratching her head. Ear to cheek, anxious, the girl smiled and picked a tender grass and gave it to him.Some girls also like to flirt with their lovers in a joking tone, mocking and teasing [yeyu Yeyu] that they are "mad boys" and "cunning boys". "The Book of Songs·Zheng Feng·褰 [qia Qian] Shang" wrote:

Zihui thinks about me, and wears clothes to wear Qin.If you don't think about yourself, don't you have others.Crazy child madness also. The girl uses this tone of coquettishness, anger, affection, and anger to test the young man's true feelings: If you don't miss me, don't love me, you don't have to act like "putting your clothes on and over the Qinshui" Prove your love, is there no one else?It's really cute and naive. The poems about love in the book have a wide range of content, and truly reflect the relatively open love between men and women at that time. Denouncing it as "sexy running", but because Confucius felt the atmosphere of the times and could understand the situation of love between men and women, he justly commented: "The three hundred poems in the "Poetry" can be summed up in one sentence:' Thinking without evil'." ("The Analects of Confucius·For Politics")