Red
Colour of Weddings:
Chinais central wedding theme is Red
colour. Red colour is simble of love, joy and prosperity
and is used in a variety of ways in Chinese wedding
traditions. The bride's wedding gown is often red,
as are the wedding invitations, and wedding gift boxes
or envelopes for cash gifts. Even the bride and groom's
homes are decorated in red on the wedding day.
Before the Chinese Wedding
Day
Before her wedding celebration, a
Chinese bride traditionally goes into seclusion with
her closest friends. This Chinese custom gives the
bride-to-be some time to symbolically mourn the loss
of her friends and family.
Some time before the couple are married,
the groom's family carries wedding gifts in red baskets
and boxes to the bride's house. One of the baskets
will contain "uang susu" or 'milk money'. Others will
contain personal things for the bride, so that on
her wedding day all of her personal belongings will
be in the groom's house. The bride takes the gifts
to another room where they are sorted through. Three
days before the wedding day, women from the bride's
family reciprocate, bearing gifts -- including some
'returns'-- in red wrappings to the groom's family.
Wedding
Ceremony Day:
Wedding anniversaries in China, are
carefully chosen according to astrological signs.
It is also customary for couples to be married on
the half-hour or their wedding day rather than at
the top of the hour. In this way, the couple begins
their new lives together on an 'upswing', while the
hands of the clock are moving up, rather than down.
On the morning of his wedding day,
the groom is symbolically dressed by his parents.
The groom arrives at the house of his bride on the
way to the wedding chapel. He brings gifts of cash,
wrapped in red tissue, to give to his bride's friends,
in exchange for 'letting her go'. In some families,
the wedding couple serves tea to both sets of parents
while kneeling in front of them. a symbolic gesture
of asking for permission. The bride and groom then
leave for the wedding site together.
Marriage
Ceremony and Wedding Reception:
The wedding ceremony is usually attended
only by the couples' immediate families. Just after
the ceremony and before the wedding reception, the
bride who honors tradition will serve tea to her in-laws
in a formal ceremony. The couple will usually go to
a professional studio for wedding pictures before
they proceed to their reception. The wedding reception,
an elaborate standing only affair.
A welcoming speech is usually performed
by an MC who is hired for the occasion. The speech
is followed by a cake cutting ceremony. The traditional
wedding cake is immense, with many layers. The layers
symbolize a ladder that they couple will 'climb to
success', so couples will cut the cake from the bottom
and work their way up. The cutting of the cake is
the only event of the reception. The bride and groom
feed each other a piece of cake with arms entwined,
trying not to destroy the bride's elaborate makeup.
A piece is then cut for each of the parents and for
the grandparents, who are fed by the bride and groom
holding the cake together. Sometimes a wedding toast
is given and guests are invited to greet the newlyweds
and their parents. Musical entertainment, which ranges
from a simple keyboard player to a symphony or orchestra,
accompanies the receiving line It is customary for
guests to shake hands again before leaving the reception.
At more elaborate Chinese weddings, a sit-down reception
may feature a 9 or 10 course meal as well as musical
entertainment.
Chinese brides often change outfits
at least three times during the reception |
