Understanding Chinese Marriage Traditions
As with any culture, China has its own distinct set of Chinese marriage traditions. These ceremonies and actions take place before, during, and after the wedding and constitute a unique experience. Of course, these traditions can vary widely depending on cultural status, wealth, or, especially in modern days, individual preference.
Prior to the Wedding
Chinese marriages used to be traditionally handled by a matchmaker and the two sets of parents involved, giving the potential couple practically no choice in anything. First the matchmaker would find what appeared to be a suitable match and talk to both sets of parents, similar to a real estate agent speaking to a buyer and seller. If both parties agreed that it seemed to be a good deal, the parents would meet with each other to negotiate a dowry and officialize the betrothal. This betrothal could only be undone of both sets of parents were in agreement to dissolve it. A fortune teller would then use the astrological calendar to set a date, one tradition that has still made its way into modern times.
The Day of the Wedding
Various actions and events took place before the actual wedding, the first being the adulthood rituals. To symbolize this coming of age, the bride would have her hair done up in the manner traditional for a wife, and the groom would be bestowed a special cap, both with elaborate ceremonies. Two processions then took place. In the first, the groom and his friends and family would process to the house of the bride, where she would be waiting, sometimes with a feast prepared by her family. After the arrival, or after eating, everyone would then process back to the groom’s house to hold the Chinese wedding ceremony in the girl’s new home. Only then was the groom allowed to see her face.
The Wedding Ceremony
Surprisingly, the wedding itself was traditionally very simple, a contrast to everything going into preparing for it. The bride and groom would pray to Heaven and Earth, and give homage to their ancestors in front of the groom’s family /component/page,shop.browse/category_id,6/option,com_virtuemart/Itemid,5/vmcchk,1/”>cialis shelf life altar. The god of the kitchen was also revered and tea was given to the parents. This could conclude the ceremony, or sometimes the bride and groom would finish by sharing wine from one cup and a portion of food together. Tea with lotus leaves still remains important today in a wedding ceremony, as “lotus” has many homophones including “year”, “seed”, and “child”, making it a fertility symbol.
Obviously, in modern times many Chinese marriage traditions have been done away with or modified into symbolic tributes, and are much less important or elaborate. Even so, the old traditions continue to be a fascinating and important part of Chinese culture.
Tags: Adulthood, Astrological Calendar, Bride And Groom, chinese marriage traditions, Chinese Marriages, Chinese Traditions, Chinese Wedding Ceremony, Coming Of Age, Culture China, Dowry, Feast, Fortune Teller, Heaven And Earth, House Of The Bride, Marriage Ceremonies, Marriage Traditions, Match, Matchmaker, Preference, Real Estate Agent, Rituals
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