Posts Tagged chinese wedding
Ancient Chinese Wedding Custom – The Wedding
Posted by sharon in Wedding Traditions on February 4th, 2010
Compared with the complicated preparations, the wedding ceremony was quite simple. The newlyweds were conducted to the family altar, where they had to kneel three times. First, they would kneel to the heaven and the earth, then to the ancestral tablets and their parents and at last they would kneel to each other. This official ritual was equal to the wedding vow in western wedding.
In some regions, the bride and the groom would be conducted to their bridal chamber. However, in some regions, the bride would present tea to the groom’s parents and relatives in sequence of seniority. The newlyweds would receive money which was wrapped in red envelopes from people who received the tea.
Ancient Chinese Wedding Custom – the Betrothal
Posted by sharon in Wedding Traditions on August 4th, 2009
The betrothal would begin when the two families were satisfied with each other. First, both parents would exchange family credentials as tokens of intention. They would have an agreement on a monetary amount and gifts for the girl’s family after extensive discussion.
The girl’s family would choose a special day from several the auspicious wedding dates suggested by the boy’s family after receiving the gifts. Meanwhile, the girl’s family would also choose a date for exchanging betrothal gifts.
Generally, the boy’s family would present betrothal gifs, such as money, tea, cakes, pairs of male and female poultry, etc. In exchange, the girl’s family would present gifts of food and clothing.
Cakes would be distributed by the girl’s family to their friends and relatives in order to announce the wedding. The person who received the cake was expected to give congratulatory gifts.
After the presentation of gifts, the girl’s family would send an inventoried dowry by way of messenger to the boy’s family house. The dowry consisted of practical items, such as land, a house, furniture, servants, grain, etc. The procession of the dowry to the boy’s house is considered a display of the social status of the girl’s family and their love for their daughter.
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