Wedding tradition in China ⬇️
Marriage is one of the most important events in people's lives. Chinese people pay special attention to this day.
Preparation for marriage starts long before. It should be noted that in some regions, for example, Hong Kong, this process can even last 1-2 years, however, it depends on the scale and date of the wedding. The Chinese attach great importance to the date of the wedding, so many couples choose the same "lucky day", therefore, in this case, the resources of wedding halls, venues and people for the ceremony are even more limited.
It should be noted that the future spouses spend the day before the wedding separately in their own homes. In the evening, candles are lit in both houses and a ceremony is held to "purify" them and prepare them for marriage. One of the family members combs their hair and verbally prepares them for marriage. Also, he tells her that he is already an adult, he makes a big decision and wishes that he will always walk successfully along this long road with his wife. On this day, both the bride and groom wear red pajamas and sleep in red linen. The color red is believed by the Chinese to repel evil spirits.
On the day of the wedding, the groom goes to the bride's house with his groomsmen. Here he is met at the door by the groomsmen of the bride. "The bride wants a real heart, her groomsmen - real money", - this is what the bridegroom's groomsmen say. The man and his groomsmen give them "red envelopes" containing money. Groomsmen count the money and determine according to the amount, they should go to the next stage, if they ask for more money.
The next stage is games. The groom has to overcome many obstacles to get the right to take away his bride. In modern China, these games include songs, funny dances, performing physical activities, eating tasteless food or drinking liquids, etc. It all depends on the imagination of the groomsmen. If the groom cannot help himself to any game, his groomsmen help him. Therefore, a best man who is strong in various aspects is the advantage of the groom.
At the next stage, the groom goes to the door of the bride's room and declares his love for her, promising to support her throughout her life. As a rule, the bride brings her father out and presents her to the groom. After that, the bride and groom kneel down in front of their parents and serve them tea. Finally, the parents bless the couple and give them wedding jewelry.
After this ceremony, the bridegroom takes the bride to his house and now there is a tea ceremony. Tea also serves a kind of ritual purpose in China, tea is the main participant in many traditional rituals. Groom's parents bless the couple and give them jewelry.
The last stage before the wedding is the dinner with the guests. At the entrance of the hall, groomsmen receive red envelopes from the guests, the collected money is given to the couple at the end of the wedding. Before the start of the dinner, the couple officially gets married - signs. And during the dinner, the couple with their family members go to each table in turn to communicate with all the guests.