Posted 2016/11/2
Traditional Chinese wedding customs is far different from thar in the modern times which are considered as the foundation of rites in traditional Chinese culture. A wedding is usually a grand occasion with overly-elaborate formalities. There are eight major procedures of a wedding, including proposal making, birthday matching, marriage divination, betrothal gifts presenting, wedding date fixing, dowry urging, welcoming the bride to the wedding and performing the formal wedding ceremony. Each procedure is outstanding by itself with facinating features.
Proposal Making
In China, young people's marriages used to be completely arranged by their parents.though some young people may indignated and unsatisfied by this convention, they have to act according to this rituals. In some areas, the boy's parents would invite a matchmaker to make the proposal to the girl's family. This was the proposal making procedure and aslo the initial step in the whole marriage process.
Birthday Matching & Marriage Divination
The procedure of birthday matching was the process in which the boy's family asked the matchmaker to go to the girl's family to enquire about her name and date of birth. Then, the boy's parents would send the girl's and their son's names and birthdates to a sorcerer or fortune teller for divining to see if the marriage between the two would be appropriate.
Betrothal Gifts Presenting
When the two families agree to the marriage, the man's family is supposed to send some betrothal gifts to the woman's family. The gifts mainly include clothes, jewelry, gold, silver and money etc. In former times, a gilded silver coin bearing the word "qiu" (meaning "proposal") was among the gifts, indicating the man's proposal. The woman's family would send back another coin bearing the word "yun" (meaning "agreed"), indicating their consent to the proposal.
Wedding Date Fixing
If the engagement is confirmed, then an experienced person will be invited to choose a proper date for the wedding ceremony. The chosen date is believed to be an auspicious one.
Dowry Urging
During the period between the wedding date settlement and welcoming the bride, the boy's family would customarily urge the girl's family to send her dowry in for bridal chamber decoration, otherwise the wedding could not be held on schedule.
Proposal Making
On the wedding day, the bridegroom's family would welcome the bride to the wedding in a bridal sedan accompanied by a wedding procession
