About 400 years ago, thousands upon thousands of Miao soldiers were sent to Hainan Island from mainland China. Today their descendants still reside in this island, and keep their unique tradition and culture quite well. Women like to adorn themselves with their handmade silver necklaces and batik clothing. Single young people start to seek for their lovers when they are only 16-18 years old. The tradition of dating and wedding among this Miao tribe is really funny.

Miao people are good at singing and dancing, which is essential to get to know their partners. In a sunny beautiful day, men go out to sing loudly. Then girls come out to happily join in the singing. They usually sing for a whole day until late in the evening. If a man finds his lover during the singing, he would ask his parents to send a matchmaker to talk to the girl’s parents to propose marriage.

Lots of weddings are held in lunar November or December when people are free from their farm work. On the wedding day, the groom will go to her future wife’s home to bring her back. He usually has a big team, which includes the matchmaker and groomsmen. A nice colorful umbrella is an essential decoration for the wedding.

When they arrive to the gate of the girl’s village, the matchmaker puts on a new set of clothes and a special hat. Then they set off firecrackers. Girls who wear beautiful silver necklaces in the village use a piece of rope or a branch to block the way to their village. Until they get some gifts from the matchmaker, they won’t let the groom and his team into their village.

Finally the groom and his team arrive at the village. After a short rest, the wedding begins. The matchmaker breaks a few pairs of chopsticks to indicate that the new couple will be together forever. Then the couple kowtows to their parents, and drink one cup of wine to swear to be together forever.

The wedding lasts until late in the evening.

Crying loudly is an interesting thing happening in the wedding. Before the bride leaves for the groom’s home, she will cry to show her reluctance to leave home. Her parents and siblings all cry together with her.

The wedding also offer a good opportunity for the bride and groom’s ex-boyfriends or ex-girlfriends to express their anger. When the groom goes to meet the bride, the ex and their pals will suddenly rush to pinch sharply the bride and groom.

When the bride gets to the groom’s home in the evening, she will send her bridesmaids to go to pinch the groom. And the bride is also pinched by the groomsmen.

In Miao culture, the man can live together with his wife’s family after they get married, if there is no boys in the family.

The beautiful Hainan Island claims to be the Hawaii of Asia. Visit this island to experience Chinese Miao’s interesting life and watch their handcrafted silver necklaces, you will have lots of fun.

C. Liu has been writing about Chinese culture, especially Miao silver necklaces, for years. She prefers the handmade silver necklaces with butterflies. Don’t miss her jewelry site with great samples of Miao silver necklaces here.

A wedding ring or wedding band is worn on the base of the left ring finger to symbolize marriage and to indicate a marital commitment to fidelity. European tradition encourages the engraving of the name of the spouse and date of marriage on the inside surface of them in order to strengthen the symbolism and sentimentality of the ring. Wearing of rings symbolizes the couple’s eternal love for each other. It has also become a matter of tradition and etiquette for couples to wear them beyond the ceremony of marriage.

Men’s Rings come in a Wide Assortment

Long ago, the only type of ring a man could choose from was men’s gold rings. They were the only option for so long when a man said, I do. That option only allowed for a choice of either white gold or yellow gold. Times have changed and today there are various options to consider when you are shopping for men’s wedding rings. Today a husband can wear just as an attractive ring as his blushing bride. Finally, fashion jewelry has caught up with unique designs for men. Today, grooms have a nice choice with a wide variety of options. These may include bands that are finished in satin polish, bands braided in gold and diamond. Now grooms can find just the right one to suit his personality and fashion sense.

Hard metals have become all the rage in men’s rings, such as those fashioned of tungsten carbide. However, many others do enjoy wearing softer metals such as silver and gold. Today, they feature arced surfaces and rounded edges for added comfort and wear ability. The most commonly useful metals for men:

Tungsten Carbide - This metal has a very masculine feel and is the hardest metal for jewelry design, even more so than is titanium. Tungsten carbide rings will last you a lifetime and is one of the metals that can last forever. No cobalt binders included in tungsten carbide rings and they are top quality.

Titanium - Titanium is lightweight yet sturdy and considerably lighter than tungsten. Titanium rings are very durable and a very much comfortable to wear than tungsten carbide or stainless steel rings. They also wear much better than gold.

Stainless steel - Generally, stainless steel rings are fashioned of surgical steel. They are comfortable to wear everyday. Stainless steel is well suited for men on the go. They are also more easily wearable than soft metals like gold rings.

Platinum - Platinum is a metal that is more precious than gold, because it comes from fallen meteorites. Long ago, it was a metal fit only for a king. Platinum men’s wedding rings are very popular with many grooms.

Palladium - This naturally occurring precious metal is rarer than is gold. It is nickel-free, hypoallergenic and has no need of rhodium plating. It is a very popular choice for those who suffer allergies from various types of metal.

Silver - Soft metal men’s wedding rings are popular in silver. They are not as expensive as gold and other types of metal. These men’s wedding rings are comfortable to wear daily.

Gold - It used to be the only type of metal. Even with the proliferation of other precious metals, gold remains to be the top choice.

Interestingly, men’s rings are not fashioned only of precious metals. Today, any groom can choose the ones that include diamonds as well to add a bit of dazzle. Thankfully, men now have a wide assortment of wedding rings from which they can choose. There is such a vast assortment of designs for men; you can find just the right one to suit the man who wears the ring.