Fuxi and Nvwa; Chang’e

In the primitive times, the Chinese people took Fuxi and Nvwa as the gods of marriage and worshipped them. According to legends, Fuxi and Nvwa were the ancestors of all humanity. They arranged marriages for human beings and worked out formalities of marriage. Therefore, they became the gods of marriage. A bruck painting of the Han Dynasty (206 BC- 220 AD) was unearthed in Peng County in Sichuan Province. On the right of the painting were Fuxi and Nvwa facing each other while on the left was a woman kowtowing in a temple. It was obvious that this was an unmarried girl praying to Fuxi and Nvwa for a perfect marriage with her beloved man.

Another god of marriage was Chang’e, a fairy living in the moon. It is widely believed that the character originated from the ancient worship of the moon. The legend of Chang’e flying to the moon lent a romantic glamour to the ancient worship. In ancient times, women prayed before the moon for two purposes. The married woman prayed for a harmonious marriage and a happy life, while the unmarried woman prayed for a good husband. In The Romance of the Western Chamber, the scene of the heroine Gui Yingying secretly burning incense and kowtowing to the moon in the garden is permeated with a sweet atmosphere.