Chinese Traditional Marriage

if you
ever been to a Western wedding it
usually involves a beautiful dress cake
lots of dancing
but if you ever been to a Chinese
wedding they are quite different and of
course Chinese wedding customs will vary
according to the family's ethnicity and
what part of China they're from but
there are some similarities so here are
some of the common things you'll find in
Chinese weddings number one wedding
Common things in Chinese weddings
decorations the two families to decorate
the bridal house in the reception site
for the upcoming wedding ceremony lots
of lively colors red in particular is
used in Chinese wedding decoration red
banners used for wedding is called
happiness manners which is an essential
part of the wedding decorations it's
decorated on both sides of the door of
the newlyweds home and the reception
site the Chinese writing on the banners
are typically rhythmic poem appraising
the adorable couple in the perfect union
number 2 photos in Western weddings
photos are of course taken throughout
the day of the wedding and family photos
are often taken after the ceremony but
prior to the reception however in
Chinese weddings Chinese couples usually
start taking their wedding photos way
before the wedding day now these photos
are usually taken by a wedding studio in
front of many different fake backdrops
the couples will wear a range of outfits
from traditional tuxedos and wedding
dresses and even to ancient Emperor and
Empress stress and of course everything
in between in addition to these
pre-wedding photos on the day of the
actual wedding family and friends photo
time is very important to Chinese people
especially southern Chinese in which the
happy couple could spend up to two hours
taking photos with family and friends in
all sorts of combinations you know bride
and groom and bride's parents bride and
groom's and groom's parents both parents
both parents and siblings both parents
and friends etc etc number three overly
cheesy videos in addition to photos
let's talk about the wedding video even
though most Chinese people won't eat it
they love cheese how else would you
explain Chinese wedding videos I mean
come on you've seen Chinese music videos
before right that thing just oozes
cheddar Chinese wedding videos are no
different many couples choose to film a
TV type of video that is designed to
make you cringe while watching it in
addition to that video on the wedding
day many Chinese couples will take a few
hours with the videographer to film
themselves in a variety of Titanic s
composes usually in the local park if
you don't believe me just go to central
park any sunday afternoon around 2
o'clock
number 4 crazy door games now this one
is fun but can sometimes be very painful
for the men door games originated from
ancient times which implies that the
bride is a lovely girl and her family
and friends do not want to marry her
away nowadays these door games are set
up by the ladies to torment the groom
and his groomsmen and if you're thinking
of fun loving games like fun trivia or
forcing the groom to profess his love in
front of everyone then you're not wrong
but often Chinese people take this to a
whole new level so yes there are trivia
questions asked to the groom about the
bride and the relationship but if he
gets it wrong sometimes yes Toledo will
sabi sandwich or drink a soy sauce coat
if you're wondering one of wasabi
sandwiches just imagine two thin slices
of seaweed and a big chunk of wasabi in
the middle and I don't think I need to
describe to you what a soy sauce coke is
number five goat and money in the West
weddings typically cost newlyweds a
significant amount of money but in China
the bride and groom become significantly
better off financially after they get
married especially nowadays where
wedding dowry skus
traditionally the bride and groom will
receive gold rings bracelets earrings
and necklaces from their family and
friends and a whole lot of cash Chinese
couples won't be registered at the local
Target or Macy's the only gift to give a
Chinese couple is money and guests will
bring the cash stuffed in red envelopes
or home ball nowadays as more and more
Chinese are becoming increasingly
wealthy wedding gifts are growing as
well for example one father in Fujian
China was reported to have given his
daughter checked this out over 200
million dollars in the form of cars
villas and stock in their family company
number 6 I like this one the tea
ceremony then moving on to the official
ritual of the Chinese wedding which
equals the wedding vows in a western
wedding the new
the weds kneel three times to heaven and
earth to the ancestral tablets and their
parents then to each other the kneeling
part has been replaced now with bowing
in modern Chinese wedding times the
bride then presents tea to the parents
and relatives in sequence of seniority
those who receive the tea usually gives
the bride and groom yep you probably
guessed it more gold and money number
Changing of the dresses
seven
changing of the dresses the color red is
considered good luck a strong color that
can drive away evil spirits the
traditional Chinese wedding dress in
northern China usually is a one-piece
dress called a cheap Hall embroidered
with elaborate gold and silver designs
prized from southern China usually wear
a two-piece dress also elaborately
adorned with golden Phoenix and Dragon
in the old days a piece of red veil as
part of the bride's costume to cover her
face during the wedding ceremony
sometimes it is an arranged marriage the
bride wouldn't show her face until the
wedding night when the groom unveils the
veil and that's when they see each other
for the first time anyway in modern
Chinese weddings the bride changes
dresses at least three times on the
wedding day she would start with
western-style white wedding gown for a
charge or civil ceremony then at the tea
ceremony she would change to traditional
Chinese bridal dress which she will wear
to the reception as well before the end
of the banquet she would change into a
cocktail dress and greet the guests and
then see them off at the door thus this
dress is also called some cook dress or
seat the guests off dress number 8 food
food and of course more food in western
weddings you usually have to tell the
bride and groom if you want the chicken
or the fish and you get a piece of a
wedding cake after but at Chinese
weddings the food is meant to put you
into a food coma right thin in there
there is a Chinese saying should
transfer me which literally means 10
complete and beautiful and that
basically means something is complete
and perfect that's why the tables at
Chinese weddings will see 10 guests and
they are usually 10 courses for the
banquet as well some types of food are
we served at the Chinese wedding banquet
which includes fish roast suckling Peggy
yup pigeon chicken cooked with red oil
lobster and desert bun with lotus seed
stuffed inside the pronunciation of fish
is the same as abundance meaning the
newlyweds will have plenty of wealth
roast suckling pig is usually served
whole fidgets usually implies a peaceful
future chicken also means phoenix cooked
in red oil to symbolize the wish for a
prosperous life ahead for the newlyweds
lobster is literally called dragon
shrimp in Chinese now having lobster and
chicken at a Chinese banquet means that
the dragon and Phoenix are harmonious
together and the yin and the young
elements this family is balanced man my
Chinese weddings are just so much more
poetic the Western weddings yeah
and the food is better as well okay I
have to say I've been to some Chinese
weddings and the food was not good and
there was ten courses I know which one
you're talking about they went the
cheaper route but I'm just saying
usually it's pretty good you go to a
guy's banquet hall it's very good I
haven't experienced that now a lot of
you guys have you been watching us you
know that Mike and I have been to a lot
of weddings um we both use a sh wedding
oh we did um I I just have a bunch of
friends that get married all the time
yeah one year I think I was best man at
five weddings that's a record yeah that
is a record let me tell you guys
something the Western way to prepare
lobster I think is boring you steam it
or you boil it come on bake it if those
others right Corinne Chinese will cook
it in black bean sauce scallions or oh
no there's there's a way the cookie
might might not seem good but it's
delicious just a bacon with cheese I
never heard of that before
hmm well some good I just I liked of
course yeah and you know you you I like
of course you saute it she turn Scalia
yeah but I've been to one Chinese
wedding with you I didn't think the food
was like that spectacular
well you've been to one you got up come
higher they're not all the same
alright does anything amount of money
but that's one thing that is very
different right because Chinese people
make a lot of money on weddings exactly
a Westerners action base spend a lot of
money and also the funny thing is like
you said like what my Western friends
get married of course like I go to where
they register yeah but you said I've
never seen so much the holder like ok
this might sound weird you know if
people were gonna rob a bank I'd be like
don't rub thanks Robert Chinese wedding
don't do that but I'm saying there's so
much newer secret gold and jewelry of
any Chinese wedding gets robbed it's
your fault I don't understand why they
don't have security outside of a Chinese
wedding I really don't because there's
so much money in there and I'm surprised
like that when they do the tea ceremony
like the bride doesn't burn people more
often because nowadays not a lot of
people just know how to make tea like
especially the young people like the
feel they don't ceremony really make
goods he in those ceremonies they just
use whatever you don't think they're
they're like trying to do that tea
not that I think but that's what you're
supposed to do that's not what's gonna
put in ancient times like they do the
real tea ceremony well this is much
different from that ancient times they
also don't give away two hundred million
dollars well maybe they did but they
don't give away you know a Porsche and
this point data point it's girl it's
great stuff all right guys hope you
learn something from this video let us