周代“归宁”礼俗考略

“归宁”礼俗当是客观存在的古礼，早在西周时期就已经施行，并在周人的日常生活中发挥着重要作用。《毂梁传》中“妇人既嫁不跄竟”的说法当是后来引入的观念，其目的是严格限制出嫁女子的活动，防止淫乱行为。周代“归宁”礼俗最初指的是出嫁女子回本家向父母问安，但时至春秋动荡之世，出嫁女子“归宁”的对象已经越出了其父母的范围，：旷大到本家的其他重要成员上；“归宁”的时间也相应延伸到其父母去世以后。后世的“归宁”礼俗常指出嫁女子回本家省亲。

A Textual Research of Mothering Custom in The Zhou Dynasty

The mothering custom came into being as early as in the Western Zhou Dynasty, and played a vital role in peoples＇ daily life. The concept recorded in Gu Liang Zhuan （榖梁传）that woman married couldn＇t cross the boundary was introduced later in order to limit the activity of woman strictly and prevent their licentious behavior. At the beginning the mothering custom means woman could return home to give regards to her parents, but with the time elapsed, the meaning of the mothering had gradually changed. After the Spring and Autumn Period, mothering custom always means that a woman married comes back to her family to visit her relatives.