In the Main Hall of the Wei Residence, red candles burned high. A large offering table stood in the center, with a pair of kneeling cushions before it and a bronze basin beside them.
The basin held clear water, with a few mugwort leaves floating on its surface.
Hands were cleansed with mugwort to drive out evil and welcome good fortune.
Wei Nisheng and Feng Shu stood shoulder to shoulder before the table, each holding one end of the cloth, facing the ancestors.
Qin Yan stood to the left of the table and proclaimed in a ringing voice:
"The newlyweds pay their respects at the Ancestral Temple!"
Paying respects at the Ancestral Temple.
Not bowing to Heaven and Earth.
In ancient wedding rites, sacrifices to Heaven and Earth belonged to the Son of Heaven's suburban ceremonies, while high officials offered sacrifices to their ancestors at home. There had never been a separate rite of "bowing to Heaven and Earth" at weddings.
Dongjing Menghua Lu recorded the wedding rites of aristocratic clans in considerable detail.
Upon entering her husband's home, the bride first bowed to the ancestral spirits, then to her parents-in-law, then to the senior members of the clan, and finally exchanged bows with her husband. From beginning to end, there was no bow to Heaven and Earth.
Heaven and Earth were worshipped by the Son of Heaven.
The Ancestral Temple was honored by descendants.
Rites had their distinctions of rank; none could overstep them.
"Kneel!"
Wei Nisheng and Feng Shu knelt together on the cushions before the offering table.
"Bow to the ancestral spirits!"
They received the incense, bent forward, and kowtowed, touching their foreheads to the ground. Only after three bows did they rise.
The rite of paying respects at the Ancestral Temple was complete.
According