Chinese Wedding Ceremonies: "Chinese Wedding Ceremonies
More than saying 'I Do', Chinese weddings involve going to parents' houses, playing jokes on the groom, and drinking lots of tea.
Chinese weddings are teeming with symbolic preparations quite different from Western wedding rituals. In emotion, though, they are exactly the same - beautiful, romantic, and funny. Here's how the Chinese tie the knot.
* Once a couple decides they want to be married, both the bride and the groom go to their parents and ask for their permission/blessing.
* The groom's family sets the date for the wedding, after consulting the Chinese Astrological Calendar for 'good' days in which to wed.
* The groom's family consults the astrological calendar again to find a 'good' day in which to send gifts to the bride's family.
* The groom then presents the bride's family with a monetary gift, even though today the groom's family will more likely pay for the wedding instead of give money. The bride will probably bring family jewelry to the groom's family for a gift.
* Unlike American wedding customs, it is the responsibility of the groom's family to organize the Big Day; they usually decide the guest list, and then relay to the bride's family how many people they can invite.
* The couple purchases a new bed for their wedding night and covers it with new linens that are, of course, red. If the couple already has a bed, they will purchase new red linens for their wedding night. A new bed and bedsheets symbolize a new beginning, and are also supposed to bring good luck to the couple.
* Both the bride and the groom perform a hair-combing ceremony the night before the wedding, symbolizing the entrance into adulthood. The bride should perform the hair-combing under the gaze of the moon to bring her children. Both should comb their hair four times, each stroke bringing good luck:
Number one: symbolizes the unity of the couple from the beginning of the marri"
