Chinese Wedding Traditions-Part 3

FamilyMarriage

  • Author Alice Serena
  • Published July 17, 2010
  • Word count 547

Traditionally, red, symbolic of joy, featured prominently in the clothing and other ritual objects pertaining to the wedding. On the wedding day, the groom, dresses in a long gown, red shoes and a red silk sash with a silk ball on his shoulder, would knee at the familiar altar while his father placed a cap adorned with cypress leaves on his head. This is called the capping ritual. After that, it is the time to fetch the bride.

With firecrackers, loud gongs and drums marked the start of the procession from the groom's home, the groom was heading for the bride's home with an accompanied child as an omen of his future sons. Completely covered with red satin and fresh flowers, the bridal sedan chair was proceeded by attendants with lanterns and banners, musicians and a probably a dancing lion or unicorn.

When arriving at the bride's house, the groom's party would encounter the bride's friends, who would not "surrender" the bride until they were contented with the red pocket of money from the groom's representative. This was the occasion of much good-natured haggling before the two parties could reach an agreement.

After fetched the bride, a good-luck woman, employed by the bride's family to look after the bride, carried the bride on her back to the sedan chair. Probably another attendant shield the bride with a parasol while a third tossed rice at the sedan chair.

Again, firecrackers were set off to frighten away evil spirits as the bride departed in the sedan chair. Also after this, the bride was believed to be transferred from her parent's family to her husband's.

In the procession to the groom's home, great care was taken to ensure that no inauspicious influence would affect the marriage. The female attendants are chosen with particular care to escort the bride to her new home. The sedan chair itself was heavily curtained to protect the bride from inadvertently glimpsing an unlucky sight, for instance, a widow, a well, or even a cat.

On arriving at the groom's house, again firecrackers sound their arrival and frighten the evil! There would be a red mat before the sedan chair for the bride lest her feet touch the bare earth as she dismounted. All the house hold would be waiting to welcome her. The bride was required to step over a saddle or a lit stove to cross the threshold, and the fire would cast out of evil influences.

In contrast the elaborate preparations, the wedding ceremony itself was simple. The bride and groom would first pray to heaven and earth, then to the groom's parents or family elders and lastly bow to other. The three prayers sealed the bond. Tea, generally with two lotus or two red dates in the cup, was offered to the groom's parents. Then the couple was escorted into the chamber, also the bridal room, to consummate their marriage.

The wedding banquets were an important part for wedding. Generally separate wedding feasts are given by the parents of the bride and the groom for their respective friends and families. Such feasts were served for several days but the most important feast was that given by the family on the wedding day, which was usually considered as public recognition of the bond.

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