羌族婚姻彩礼古今习俗之变探源

Origin of the Changes in Qiang People’s Betrothal Gifts in Ancient and Modern Times

历史上羌族的婚姻程序十分繁琐,其背后反映的是羌民对于彩礼观念的重视,且囿于社会经济生活与民族地区的风俗习惯,彩礼的性质有“身价说”“补偿说”“赡养说”之区分。然而通过田野调查发现,当代羌族婚姻制度中,彩礼观念的转变极大,究其原因,主要在于羌族地区家庭结构、养老模式以及婚姻模式的变化。在此影响下,彩礼的性质也转变为扶持新生家庭的“物质条件”。

The Qiang people’s marriage procedures were historically complicated.They reflected the Qiang people’s emphasis on the concept of betrothal gift.Depending on the local socioeconomic activities and customs,betrothal gifts are classified,by nature,into those to“prove personal worth,”to“compensate the bride’s parents”and to“provide for the bride’s parents.”However,field investigations show that the concept of betrothal gift in the contemporary Qiang marriage system has changed dramatically,due to the changes in family structure,old-age care model and marriage model in areas inhabited by the Qiang people.Under these circumstances,betrothal gifts changed into“material support”for the new family.