no Na Cai is the first ritual of the ancient Six Rites, which means that if a man wants to marry a woman, he will send a matchmaker to the woman's house to propose and give gifts. If the woman is interested, the man will send a matchmaker to formally propose to the woman's family and bring a certain gift, hence the name "Na Cai". So Na Cai is more of a marriage proposal. Engagement is usually based on the "six rites" of "acceptance" and "invitation period".
1、 Is Nacai engaged
In modern terms, 'na cai' refers to the man going to the woman's house to express his intention to get married, and then discussing the date of engagement and marriage. Therefore, the auspicious' na cai 'in the almanac generally refers to a suitable date for marriage proposal, which is different from engagement. In general, the "acceptance" and "invitation" in the Six Rites represent engagement.
The Meaning of Six Rites
1. Na Cai: The man's family invites a matchmaker to propose to the woman's family, and the woman's family agrees to negotiate. After the marriage, the man's family prepares gifts to propose.
2. Name inquiry: The man's family requests the matchmaker to inquire about the woman's name and birthdate, in order to proceed with the marriage.
3. Najib: After the man retrieves the woman's birth date and eight characters, he practices divination at the ancestral temple. After the auspicious omen was announced, the bride's family was notified and it was decided to enter into marriage.
4. Na Zheng: also known as Na Yin, refers to the act of a man delivering a dowry to a woman's home before marriage.
5. Request: The male family chooses a wedding date and prepares gifts to inform the female family, seeking their consent.
6. Welcome: The groom personally goes to the bride's house to marry.
2、 The difference between marriage proposal and engagement
1. Different definitions
Marriage proposal is when the man brings gifts to the woman's house and expresses his intention to marry her, but the wedding date has not yet been set;
Engagement is the formal agreement between two people to get married, with registration and a banquet on the agenda, turning the two into a relationship of fianc é and fianc é e.
2. Different purposes
Marriage proposal is a manifestation of the desire to get married;
Engagement is when both parents agree to their romantic relationship and announce that they are about to get married.
3. Different processes
When proposing marriage, the man needs to bring gifts such as tea, tobacco, alcohol, fruits, etc. to the woman's house to discuss the marriage and get to know each other;
Engagement requires holding an engagement ceremony, engagement banquet, etc., as well as preparing a betrothal gift, dowry, and engagement ring. The bride will also reciprocate according to customs.
4. Different times
Marriage proposal is a step before engagement and also the first formal meeting between the parents of both parties;
And engagement is an important process after marriage proposal and before marriage, which is a ceremony for both parties to reach an engagement.