TuJia Ten Sisters’ Accompanying Custom
 2016-12-20 16:49:29   Zhangjiajie Tourism Information Website  

Tujia people are very cautious about the marriage if the bride and the groom have the same surname. If they have the same surname, they may be of the same blood. The marriage of the same blood is a big taboo in Tujia. Tujia girls will welcome their marriage day by crying. The bride usually starts to cry half a month previous to the wedding day; some even cry about one month. The shortest is about 3 or 5 days. Tujia people judge a girl’s intelligence and virtue by how well she can sing crying songs in the wedding.

Ten sisters’ accompanying is a unique form that Tujia girl takes when she cries over her marriage. The day previous to the wedding day, her parents will invite 9 unmarried girls in the neighborhood to sit with the bride around the mat singing songs for the whole night, which is called ten sisters’ accompanying singing. Ten girls sit around the table, and then the bride cries ten times. At each interval the cook will put a dish on the table. When the bride finishes there are ten dishes at the table. After the ninth girl cries, the bride will have cried ten times, and the cook collects ten dishes one by one. That ends ten sisters’ accompanying.

Translated by Sophia