Tujia Custom in Zhangjiajie

      Among about 1.7 million people in Zhangjiajie, there are about 1 million Tujia people. For each Tujia girl, they need to cry before getting married. The girl who is unable to cry cannot find any husband. They cry in the form of singing the song which is by no means a smart skill. Tujia girls begin to learn crying at the age of 13-14 also. Whether a girl will become a satisfied wife or not in the future is mostly determined by her crying skills. Half month before they get married, the bride begins crying. The night before wedding ceremony, the bride will invite another 9 maddens to cry together. This ceremony is named “10 sisters crying”. Every time the girl cry the name of her relatives or friends, this person needs to cry back to show that their love for the bride. You can imagine how spectacle it is!

What they cry for? On the one hand, they express a kind of homesick; what’s more, they show their gratitude to parents’ love and their worry about future life in husband’s family on the other hand.

     Why do they cry? In the past, the transportation in this area is very poor. It is full of mountains and rough land. It is impossible for a girl coming back home very often once getting married. Another reason is that local people think that tears means disaster and auspicious things. The bride will bring no unhappy things through crying out of all tears before going to bridegroom’s home.

Nowadays, when you tour in Zhangjiajie, you can still learn the part of this culture, which has been listed in national intangible culture heritage..