| In traditional Chinese society, which has always been self-proclaimed“ceremonies”, the wedding is irreplaceably given the rich connotationsand symbolic significance. Preparations for the wedding ceremony ofteninvolve the overhead of a large number of items and money. In the familywith less affluent material, especially the minority in the economicallyunderdeveloped areas, this overhead is a kind of sweet burden, but theyusually have their unique way to resolve this “burden”.Daban Yao is a branch of Yao with a little population, and mainlydistributed in Dongzhong, Fangchenggang, Guanxi Province where is tothe border of Vietnam. They live a traditional life because of theenvironment and the geographical location, and have a relatively simpleway for their incomes. However, in order to alleviate the tension betweenthe huge spending of marriage and the low level of their family income,many indigenes often borrow from others. Pork as the main meat on thetable of Daban Yao, and often become the largest part of the expenses inthe wedding. Therefore, borrow pigs is one of the most important ways toprepare foods for wedding.This paper took wedding ceremony as a platform for the inspectionto investigate the “borrow” pig custom which derived from the process ofthe wedding preparation. And also did some researches on the socialfunctions brought by “borrow” pig custom in Daban Yao’s life. The“borrow” pig custom in Daban Yao at Xikeng, Dongzhong, Fangcheng GuangXi province, on its manifestations, is a mutual mode in localswedding who cannot afford the banquet alone, but the behavior ofindigenes also lurk production costs, transaction cost, and otherconsiderations. In this sense, The economic behavior of the Daban Yaopeople is cultural in practical reason. And its essence is one of the mostimportant way to maintain the social relations of the Daban Yao, andplaying an essential role in integration of the local community. |
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