Wedding Ceremony of Hani Ethnic Group

Wedding Dance Customs of the Amu Hani People in Mojiang

The Hani people (哈尼族) residing in Mojiang refer to themselves as “Amu”. Their traditional wedding ceremony is uniquely characterized by dancing rituals that run through the entire process from start to finish. As the wedding day approaches, both the bride’s and groom’s families build temporary sheds with bamboo and pine branches outside their residences. These simple yet ceremonial sheds serve as dedicated venues for bride sending, bride welcoming, and guest reception activities.
On the official wedding day, the groom’s bride-meeting team arranges a group of members to wait along the roadside, while the rest accompany the groom to the bride’s village. Upon the team’s arrival at the village entrance, rhythmic folk music rises loudly from inside the village. The bride’s send-off team initiates traditional ceremonial dances and moves toward the entrance to greet the guests.
After presenting ritual wine and tea to the groom’s party, all participants dance together and march into the village until they reach the pre-built ceremonial shed. Following a short rest, the newly engaged couple stand before a square ceremonial table. Meanwhile, the bride’s family members hold thin bamboo strips between their fingers and dance gracefully around the table. This ritual dance carries sincere spiritual implications, praying for divine blessings, disaster elimination, peace and happiness for the new couple.
On the way back to the groom’s home, the newlyweds, escorted by a large crowd of villagers, meet the waiting group that has been standing by the roadside in advance. All attendees gather to form a large circle and dance joyfully to the lively rhythm of gongs and drums, exchanging sincere blessings and festive greetings. Afterwards, the entire procession proceeds to the groom’s residence together.
Sumptuous wedding feasts are fully prepared both inside and outside the ceremonial shed. As soon as all guests take their seats, a skilled female singer and dancer stands up from the senior guest seat. She travels from table to table, performing graceful folk songs and dances to enliven the festive atmosphere. Closely following her, the host from the groom’s side carries a bamboo basket holding three bowls and a wine gourd, symbolically taking a small portion of wine and food from each table as a ritual blessing.
As the feast draws to an end, a chef walks out of the kitchen holding a bamboo sieve filled with eight large bowls and dances slowly among the guests. All attendees symbolically place a little food into the bowls to convey good wishes. Finally, upon the host’s formal announcement of “Time to dance”, guests leave their seats one after another, form dancing circles, and sing and dance enthusiastically. Through the lively celebrations, villagers deliver heartfelt blessings to the new couple, encouraging them to uphold diligence and frugality in family management and practice the traditional virtues of respecting the elderly and loving the young.

Comical Bridegroom-beating Custom of the Kaduo Hani People in Xinping

The Hani people in Xinping and surrounding areas call themselves “Kaduo”. Their wedding tradition features a unique and amusing ritual known as “Beating the Bridegroom”, which adds a strong comic and festive touch to the wedding ceremony.
When the groom’s bride-meeting party arrives at the bride’s home, hosts and guests exchange warm greetings before indulging in free-flowing drinking and feasting. The parents of both the bride and groom also enjoy the feast heartily, chatting casually about daily trivialities as if temporarily forgetting the ongoing wedding celebration. After a long period of merrymaking, the bride makes her gentle appearance.
Adorned with red silk veils on her head and delicate silver ornaments on her chest, the bride walks slowly toward the crowd with a shy and reserved manner. When she approaches the groom, she suddenly feigns anger and playfully beats the groom directly on the face with her hands. The surrounding crowd immediately bursts into playful cheers and teasing shouts.
The bride continues to cry and beat the groom in a ceremonial performance, while the groom dodges gently without any retaliation. The playful ritual comes to an end when the bride stops beating and breaks into a smile through her tears. The groom then signals the departure by saying, “It is time to go now.”
At this moment, the bride and her mother embrace each other tightly, overcome with reluctant parting emotions. They cry and sing sad folk ballads to express their attachment. Afterwards, the groom’s brothers forcibly separate the two and carry the bride away on their backs. The bride’s family procession follows closely behind to escort the bride to her new home.
This distinctive “Beating the Bridegroom” custom bears profound cultural connotations rather than mere entertainment. Folklore holds that the ritual serves to test the groom’s sincerity, patience and faithful love toward the bride, symbolizing a lasting and devoted marital relationship.