Groom's Family Whips Bride's Father for "Not Raising Daughter Properly" in Traditional Baoan Wedding Ceremony

Unique Wedding Custom of the Baoan People in Gansu, Northwestern China

A unique ritual has been reported at the wedding of an ethnic minority group in China, where the groom's family whips the bride's father, claiming he "did not raise his daughter properly."

According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP) on January 2, the Baoan ethnic group, who mainly reside in Gansu Province in northwestern China, have an unusual custom known as "father-in-law whipping."

Baoan ethnic group. Photo captured from SCMP

The Baoan are a minority group with a population of about 24,000. They practice Islam and speak the Baoan language. Their marriage customs are also rooted in Islamic faith, and marriages are generally monogamous.

Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, it was traditional for men to marry at 17 and women at 15. The marriage procedures and dates followed the Islamic calendar, and a traditional Baoan wedding consists of four stages: matchmaking, confirmation of engagement, delivery of the bride price, and the wedding ceremony.

First, when the groom's family proposes marriage, they send a gift called "Songdingcha," which means "engagement tea." This gift includes four items-rock sugar, dried longan fruit, tea leaves, and walnuts-each wrapped in paper of a different color. If the bride's family accepts the gift, it signifies that both families have formally agreed to the marriage.

A traditional Baoan wedding usually lasts for three days. The most distinctive ritual is the "father-in-law whipping." On the wedding day, several young women from the bride's side accompany the groom to his house, where they playfully smear soot from a cooking pot on the groom's father's face, symbolizing heartfelt congratulations.

The groom's father is then invited to the bride's house and seated in the courtyard. The bride's father comes out to greet him and, going beyond a simple congratulatory message, formally apologizes for "not raising and disciplining his daughter properly." This statement does not actually imply any fault on the daughter's part; among the Baoan, it is regarded as a symbolic act expressing humility and respect.

To show sincerity, the bride's father kneels before the groom's father and expresses his willingness to "accept punishment." The groom's father then picks up a prepared whip and pretends to strike him forcefully twenty times before returning home. This act marks the conclusion of the wedding ceremony.