Posts Tagged bride
Ancient Chinese Wedding Custom – Wedding Night Ritual
Posted by sharon in Wedding Traditions on May 16, 2010
On the night of the wedding, a dragon and a phoenix candle would be lit in the bridal room to drive away the evil spirit. Usually, the groom had to entertain the guests attending the banquet and the bride would sit on the bridal bed and waited for the groom.
On the night, with arms crossed each other, the newly couple would drink wine from two cups which were tied together by a red string. After that, they would be offered dumplings which were half-raw. As the pronunciation of “raw” is the same as giving birth to children, it is regarded as a indication of family prosperity.
Ancient Chinese Wedding Custom – Arriving at the Groom’s House
Posted by sharon in Wedding Traditions on November 3, 2009
A good luck woman, who was employed by the bride’s family, would look after the bride carefully during the journey to the groom’s house. Firecrackers, which were used to frighten away evil spirits, would be set off just before the procession arrived. There, the groom’s entire household was waiting to receive the bride. A red mat was prepared and placed before the sedan chair for the bride so that her feet would not touch the bare earth.
As ancient Chinese believed that the fire would cast out of evil things, the bride had to step over a lit stove to cross the threshold. It was believed that by doing that, the bride could keep away from all the evil things and enjoy a happy life in the future.
