The Origin of the Bride's Dew Veil
When a Tujia bride is helped out of her sedan chair by the welcoming matron, her face is covered with a silk veil, so no guest can see her features. Why the silk veil? Legend says that during the Tang dynasty, Luo Tong unjustly angered the meritorious Princess Tuoling to death, and the emperor forbade him from marrying for life. Founding elder Cheng Yaojin, who had a sworn brotherhood with the Luo family, pleaded with the emperor.
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The Origin of the Bride's Dew Veil
When a Tujia bride is helped out of the bridal sedan by the matron of honor, her face is covered with a silk veil, and none of the relatives or guests can see the bride's face. Why is the silk veil worn?
Legend has it that during the Tang Dynasty, Luo Tong for no reason angered to death the meritorious official Princess Tuoling, and was forbidden by the emperor from ever marrying. The founding elder Cheng Yaojin, who had a sworn brotherhood with the Luo family, went to the emperor and argued persistently: "It is a pity that the Luo family has been loyal for generations; do not let the line be cut off. Allow him to marry again." The emperor hesitated. Seeing a glimmer of hope, Cheng Yaojin continued: "I once saw that Shi Danai has a daughter. She is extremely ugly—eyes askew, nose crooked, face pockmarked, mouth lopsided, ears huge, with three strands of yellow hair and two streams of green snot hanging down. She is already over thirty years old, and no one has ever come to propose. I beg Your Majesty to grant the favor of marrying Shi Danai's ugly daughter to Luo Tong." The emperor, seeing that it was a woman no one wanted and extremely ugly, and with Yaojin pleading, reluctantly agreed.
After Yaojin returned, he set about being the matchmaker. A word here, a word there, and the marriage was settled. Betrothal gifts were exchanged, and the wedding date was set. Miss Shi was actually as beautiful as a flower. If she were married in public and bowed in the hall in public, would it not be said that Cheng Yaojin had lied before the emperor? It is said that at that time Cheng Yaojin had under his command a Tujia (Bizika) general surnamed Tian, who was eloquent and quick-witted. He thought of a plan: cover the bride's face with a cloth as she came out of the sedan and bowed with the groom. Cheng Yaojin, hearing this, said "Wonderful, wonderful!" and had the bride's face covered with a cloth. With music and fanfare all the way, she was sent to the Luo family to bow and be married. Later, General Tian passed this auspicious custom on to the Tujia villages. The Tujia people call the face-covering cloth the "dew veil," the wedding dress the "dew dress," and the wedding shoes the "dew shoes," meaning "a blade of grass has a drop of dew," expressing that one should not forget the parents' grace of raising them.