The vast country of China is home to rich and highly varied traditions that have continually evolved through the years because of a myriad of cultural and regional influences. This is certainly apparent in Chinese wedding traditions that entail elaborate courtship and ceremonies before one can decide to tie a knot.

Pre-Wedding Preparations

Planning a Chinese wedding would normally require you to consult the Chinese calendar to determine what would be the good day to marry. Traditionally grooms used to shoulder the major bulk of the wedding expenses, today many brides and her family are more open to contributing substantially. The preparation for the imminent wedding is quite complex since prospective brides are required to live in temporary seclusion as they prepare for they new journey and leave her home and family. If Americans have bachelor parties, the equivalent Chinese wedding traditions to this would be the ritual of preparing the bed. The grooms are generally responsible for overseeing the installation of the matrimonial bed one the day before the couple’s wedding. The specific hour would then be consulted as well as the presence of the “Good Luck” man or women to help out with the various preparations. Once the bed is all ready, all the symbolic products are neatly placed on top of the bed to ensure fertility such as red dates, lotus seeds, pomegranates and oranges.

Wedding Day

On the day of the wedding the bride undergoes an elaborate hair dressing ritual while the groom participate sin the capping ritual, which are symbolic signs as their passage to adulthood. If you are wondering why most Chinese weddings are prominently associated with red colors, this is mainly because to the Chinese culture the said color is a symbol of joy, which is the dominant color all throughout the wedding. The bride’s hair is subjected to a thorough cleansing service that is believed to rid of evil influences. The hair will then be styled and the face will then be covered with a red silk veil. On the other hand, the groom will be dressed in a long gown, complete with red shoes, sash and a silk ball is also placed on his shoulder. He will bow before sacred tablets of his ancestors, to his parents and the other family member who are present.

The groom will then lead a procession to the bride’s home that will be signaled with gongs, drums and firecrackers. The girl’s family will then present him with a pair of chopsticks along with two goblets that are usually wrapped in red paper. However, it can be quite surprising to note that despite the elaborate preparations dictated by ancient Chinese wedding traditions, the ceremony itself is quite simple. The couple will be simply lead to the family altar in order to humbly pay homage to the Heaven and Earth, their ancestors and the kitchen god. Once the short ceremony is completed the bride and groom would bow to each other.

Both parents of the couples usually prepare the wedding banquet or feasts. In the reception, men and women are seated separately. While there may be a series of feasts offered in honor of the newlyweds, the most important one of all is the one given by the groom’s family on the very day of the wedding.

To other parts of the world, the Chinese wedding traditions may be quite intriguing and a little too couples for their taste. However, like in any other culture, each ritual has a specific symbol as the Chinese way of ensuring a long lasting union for the couple, and a celebration of love and a heavy dose of good luck. So the next time you see a tradition Chinese wedding, you will more or less have an idea on the significance of every ritual.