Research On Marriage And Childbearing Customs During The Han Dynast

Marriage rites and customs are an important part of marriage culture.During the two Han dynasties,marriage rites and customs were inherited from previous rituals and customs,but changed on the basis of them.The six marriage rites were still followed during the Han period,and women were relatively free to remarry and remarry during the Han period,with family status,appearance,wealth and talent being the main criteria for choosing a spouse during the Han period.The rise of wedding celebrations,the prevalence of early marriage and childbirth,and the gradual strengthening of hierarchical marriages are some of the ways in which Han marriage rituals differed from those of previous generations.The factors that influenced the development and evolution of Han marriage rituals were mainly political,economic and ideological.At the political level,the Han court actively intervened in the development of marriage rites and customs,on the one hand by changing the customs of backward areas and,on the other,by indirectly promoting extravagance in marriage during the Han dynasty through certain decrees.In addition,rule was strengthened through the integration of ritual and law.In order to strengthen overall national power,the Han government adopted a population policy that encouraged fertility.At the economic level,the individual,small-holder style of production dictated the Han dynasty’s investment in human labour in the agricultural economy.Due to regional economic differences,rituals and ceremonies also differed,with marriage rituals in the north being less strict than in the south.The taxation policy,based on the poll tax,was the economic backdrop for the Han dynasty’s increased population control and encouragement of fertility.At the ideological and cultural level,the Han dynasty inherited the idea of yin and yang and the five elements from the pre-Qin period,and prophecy was introduced into the scriptures,which led to the prevalence of prophecy;at the same time,the belief in ghosts and gods was prevalent in society,making the Han dynasty’s marriage rites and customs full of mystical connotations.In addition,Han Confucianism introduced the concept of the three rules and five ethics of the Han dynasty,which facilitated the further exploitation of women,resulting in the lowering of the status of women in politics,society and the family.Women could only realise their value through their contribution to the family.The ethics of Confucianism made the concept of the family deeply rooted in people’s minds.The rituals of marriage and childbirth during the Han period reflect the gradual nature of ritual culture.The Han dynasty’s marriage rituals contributed to the integration of ethnic groups and cultural exchanges;the gentry used marriage culture to consolidate family power and facilitate the formation of large families;and the ethical concept of the Three Principles and Five Rules provided a systematic theoretical basis for the gender discrimination of male superiority and female inferiority,which was harmful to all.Overall,the rituals of marriage and childbirth during the Han dynasty had a profound impact on the culture of marriage and childbirth of later generations.