HISTORY: Over 2,400 Years of Tradition*
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Systemization of apparently pre-existing elements of traditional Chinese
wedding ceremony is generally credited to scholars of the Warring States
period <
http://www-chaos.umd.edu/history/ancient2.html> , 402-221
B.C.Three venerable texts, /The Book of Rites/, /The Book of Etiquette
and Ceremonial/, and the /Baihu Tong/ outline the Three Covenants and
the Six Rites, that were considered necessary elements of a marriage.
However, the full ritual was so complicated that even within the span of
the Warring States period, the etiquette underwent changes and
simplification.
What remained constant were the chief objectives <vobjectives.html>:
joining and enhancing the two families and ensuring succession with
numerous descendants. Reverence to parents and ancestors, omens to
encourage fertility and wealth, financial and social obligations
contracted by both families at the betrothal, extensive gift giving
etiquette, and *the bride?s incorporation into her husband?s family* are
recurring elements.
*ANCIENT MARRIAGE CUSTOMS*
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*The Proposal*
The process began with an elaborate marriage proposal and acceptance.
This process was placed in the hands of a go-between, who acted as a
buffer between the two parties ? a role similar to that of a real estate
agent today. The important parties in proposal and betrothal
negotiations were the parents of the prospective bride and groom, rather
than the bride and groom themselves.
?Marriage was for continuing the ancestral line and creating alliances
between families ?; too important a duty to be left in the rash hands of
the young," Costa <#costa> explains.?
When the boy?s parents identified a likely bride-to-be, they would send
the go-between to present *gifts to the girl?s parents* and to sound out
their feelings about the match. If the proposal was well-received, the
go-between would obtain the *date and hour of the girl?s birth *recorded
on a formal document <v8characters.html>.
The groom?s family would place this document on the ancestral altar for
three days. If no inauspicious omens, e.g. quarrels between the parents
or a loss of property, took place within that time, the parents would
give the information to a *astrological expert* to confirm that the
young woman and their son would make a good match. If the boy?s family
found the horoscope to be favorable, they gave the boy?s birth date and
hour to the go-between to bring to the girl?s family, who would go
through the same process.
Only after both outcomes were favorable <vomens.html>, would the two
families arrange to meet. Finally face-to-face, each family evaluated
the other in terms of appearance, education, character, and social
position. If both were satisfied they would proceed to the betrothal.
*The Betrothal*
First both sets of parents exchanged family credentials as tokens of
intention. Then, *after extensive bargaining*, the two families would
arrive at the amount of money and goods that would make up the gift to
the girl?s family. After presenting *engagement tokens*, the go-between
would ask the bride?s family to chose among several*auspicious wedding
dates <#auspicious>* suggested by the boy?s family and also set a date
for presenting betrothal gifts.
*The boy?s family presented betrothal gifts *of money and significant
items such as tea, *"Dragon (male) and Phoenix (female)"* bridal cakes,
pairs of male and female poultry, sweetmeats and sugar, wine and
tobacco, accompanied by an itemized statement of these gifts. Tea was
such a primary part of these gifts in some areas that they were known
collectively as /cha-li/, that is, "tea presents." The girl?s family
reciprocated with gifts of food and clothing.
It was customary for the girl?s family to distribute the *bridal cakes*
they received from the boy?s family to friends and relatives as a form
of announcement and invitation to the wedding feast. The number of cakes
given to each was established according to a rigid etiquette, on the
basis of seniority and degree of intimacy. Those who received the bridal
cakes, were expected to present congratulatory gifts to the girl?s parents.
The boy?s family?s gifts acknowledged the parents? efforts in raising
the girl, and *by accepting the gifts, the girl?s family pledged her to
the boy?s*. It is interesting to note that the bride was given to the
family rather than the groom alone. Although the bride and groom
probably had not met yet, betrothal was considered binding
<vbinding.html> unless both families agreed to annul the contract.
Several days after the presentation of the betrothal gifts, the girl?s
family sent porters with an inventoried *dowry* to the boy?s house. The
dowry consisted of practical items, including a chamber pot, filled for
the occasion with fruit and strings of coins. This procession gave the
girl?s family the opportunity to display both their social status and
their love for their daughter, and wealthy parents often included
serving girls to attend their daughter in her new home.
Betrothals generally lasted for a year or two, although child betrothals
would last until the children had grown to marriageable age.
*Preparing for the Wedding Day*
*/Retreating to the Cock Loft/*
In preparation for her impending departure, the bride-to-be retreated
from the ordinary routine and lived in seclusion in a separate part of
the house with her closest friends. During this period, the young women
sang laments, mourning the bride?s separation from her family and
cursing the go-between ?; as well as the groom?s family and even the
girl?s own parents. Since this extended ?sleep over? often took place in
the cock loft, the bride?s emergence on her wedding day was sometimes
referred to as "coming out of the cock loft."
*/Installing the Bridal Bed/*
Preparation on the part of the groom involved the installation of the
bridal bed <vbridalbed.html>on the day before the wedding. A propitious
hour and a ?good luck woman? or ?good luck man?, that is a man or women
with many children and living mates, were selected to install a newly
purchased bed. (The installation ceremony consisted of merely moving the
bed slightly; the actual work was done by servants or friends.)
After the bed was in place, children were invited onto the bed as an
omen of fertility ?; the more, the merrier. For the same reason, the bed
was scattered with red dates, oranges, lotus seeds, peanuts,
pomegranates and other fruits. Part of the fun was watching the children
scramble for the fruit.
*Day of the Wedding*
The "Hair Dressing" Ritual of the bride and the "Capping" Ritual of the
groom <vinitiation.html> symbolized their initiation into adulthood and
were important parts of the wedding preparations. Red <vred.html>,
symbolic of joy, featured prominently in the clothing and other ritual
objects pertaining to the wedding.
*/The "Hair Dressing" Ritual /*
At dawn on her wedding day (or the night before), the bride bathed in
water infused with pumelo, a variety of grapefruit, to cleanse her of
evil influences ?; and one suspects as a cosmetic to soften her skin in
the manner of contemporary alphahydroxls. She put on new underclothes
and sat before lit dragon-and-phoenix <banquet.html#dragon> candles.
A ?good luck woman? attended the bridal preparations. She spoke
auspicious words while dressing the bride?s hair in the style of a
married woman.
*After her hair was styled*, the bride emerged from her retreat. She was
carried to the main hall on the back of the ?good luck? woman or her
most senior sister-in-law. There she donned a jacket and skirt and
stepped into a pair of *red *shoes, placed in the center of a sieve. The
bride?s face was covered with either a *red silk veil* or a ?curtain? of
tassels or beads that hung from the bridal Phoenix crown. (The photo
below was taken at the mock wedding at a prior year?s Chinese Summer
Festival <Pfestival99.html>.
After completing her wedding preparations, *the bride bowed to her
parents* and to the ancestral tablets and awaited the arrival of the
bridal procession from the groom?s house.
*/The "Capping" Ritual/*
Dressed in a long gown, *red *shoes and a *red *silk sash with a silk
ball on his shoulder, the groom knelt at the family altar while his
father placed a cap decorated with cypress leaves on his head.
*The groom bowed first before the tablets of Heaven and Earth and his
ancestors, then to his parents and the assembled family members.* His
father removed the silk ball from the sash and placed it on top of the
bridal sedan chair.
*/The Procession from the Groom?s House to Obtain the Bride/*
The dim of firecrackers, loud gongs and drums marked the start of the
procession from the groom?s home. The groom led the procession
accompanied by a child as an omen of his future sons, and the bridal
sedan chair was proceeded by attendants with lanterns and banners,
musicians, and a ?dancing? lion or unicorn. According to Hsiang,
"Several decades ago, when there was a wedding in Fukien, the groom
would to the bride?s house to fetch her, taking with him the bridal
chair, which was completely covered with red satin and fresh flowers. He
himself made the journey there and back in a blue and yellow teak sedan
chair. "
On arriving at the bride?s house, the groom?s party was met by the
bride?s friends, who would not ?surrender ?the bride until they were
satisfied by red packets of money, /ang pau/ from the groom?s
representative. This was the occasion of much good-natured haggling
before the two parties could reach an agreement.
In some cases, the groom would take dinner with the bride?s family, and
receive a pair of chopsticks and two wine goblets wrapped in *red*
paper, symbolic of his receiving the joy of the family in the person of
their daughter. In some regions, he would be offered sweet longan tea,
two hard-boiled eggs in syrup and transparent noodles. Another variation
was the groom?s partaking of soup with a soft-boiled egg, the yolk of
which he was expected to break, arguably symbolic of breaking the
bride?s ties with her family.
*/The Bride?s Journey to the Groom?s House/*
The ?good luck woman? or a dajin, employed by the bride?s family to look
after the bride, carried the bride on her back to the sedan chair
<vcarried.html>. Another attendant might shield the bride with a parasol
while a third tossed *rice *at the sedan chair. Sometimes the bride was
borne out in a wooden ?cage? with her feet padlocked ?; presumably a
remnant from rougher times with extremely reluctant brides.
A sieve, /shai-tse/, which would strain out evil, and a metallic mirror,
/king/, which would reflect light, were suspended at the rear of the
bride?s sedan to protect her from evil influence <vprotection.html>. The
bride might also attach a special mirror to her garment, which she would
not remove until she was safely seated upon the marriage bed.
Firecrackers were set off to frighten away evil spirits as the bride
departed in the sedan chair. The physical movement <transfer.html>
symbolized the transfer of the bride from her parent?s family to her
husband?s.
Great care was taken to ensure that no inauspicious influence would
affect the marriage. *The female attendants* who escorted the bride to
her new home were chosen with particular care that the horoscope animals
of their birth years were compatible with that of the bridegroom. The
sedan chair itself was heavily curtained to prevent the bride from
inadvertently glimpsing an unlucky sight, e.g. a widow, a well, or even
a cat. Attendants scattered grain or beans, symbols of fertility, before
her.
*/Arriving at the Groom?s House/*
Once again, firecrackers were set off just before the procession
arrived. A red mat was placed before the sedan chair for the bride lest
her feet touch the bare earth as she dismounted. All the household would
be waiting to receive her.
The bride was required to step over a saddle or a *lit stove *to cross
the threshold, since the words for "saddle" and "tranquillity" sound the
same,/ ngan/, and the fire would cast out of evil influences. An
attendant might immediately place a heap of rice in a sieve over or near
the bride. If the bride did not wear a lucky mirror, one might be used
at this time to flash light upon the bride. In some regions, a grain
measure and a string of of copper coins were laid out as talismans of
prosperity.
After these rituals took place <vpurification.html>, the groom could
finally raise the red scarf and view the bride?s face.
*The Wedding*
In contrast to the elaborate preparations, the wedding ceremony itself
was simple <wedding2.html>. The bride and groom were conducted to the
family altar <vancestors.html>, where *they paid homage* to Heaven and
Earth, the family ancestors and the Kitchen God, /Tsao-Ch黱/. *Tea*,
generally with two lotus seeds or two red dates in the cup, was offered
to the groom?s parents.
Then the bride and groom bowed to each other. This completed the
marriage ceremony, except in some regions, where both also drank wine
from the same goblet, ate sugar molded in the form of a rooster, and
partook of the wedding dinner together.
(See Also: Contemporary Chinese Wedding Tea Ceremony <wed2.html>.)
*/The Nuptial Chamber/*
Immediately after the ceremony, the couple were led to the bridal
chamber, where both sat on the bed. In some areas, honey and wine were
poured into two goblets linked by a red thread. The bride and groom took
a few sips and then exchanged cups and drank it down. On the day of the
wedding (and sometimes for the next three days), the bed chamber was
open to visitors <vchamber.html>, who were given to teasing the young
couple with ribald remarks.
*/The Wedding Banquets/*
Generally, separate wedding feasts were given by the parents of the
bride and the groom for their respective friends and families. Even at
the feast, men and women sat separately. There could be a single feast
for each or a series of feasts over several days. However, the most
important feast was that given the groom?s family on the day of the
wedding. It was generally considered as public recognition of the union.
(See Also: Contemporary Chinese Wedding Banquet <banquet.html>.)
*POST-WEDDING RITUAL*
------------------------------------------------------------------------
*/Day After the Wedding/*
On the day after the wedding, *the bride awoke early to attend honor the
ancestors at dawn*. It was only then that she was then formally
introduced to the groom?s relatives and friends. *As she knelt before
each of the older relatives, she received a small gift*. The bride?s
parents-in-law gave her a title according to her husband?s seniority in
the family hierarchy.
*/Three Days After the Wedding/*
In general, three days after the wedding, the couple paid a visit to the
bride?s family home, *where the bride is now received as a guest.*
/Contributed By: I. Rutledge/
*CONTEMPORARY CHINESE WEDDING CUSTOMS*
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The application of ancient customs in contemporary Chinese weddings is
of great interest of many of our visitors. The following may be helpful
in applying Chinese traditions to contemporary weddings.
*Selecting an Auspicious Wedding Date:*
Auspicious days are subject to interpretation by fortune tellers
that perform the analysis based on one?s birth date (day and hour)
after consultation with the Chinese almanac. Almanacs containing
predictions for the entire year are sold at the beginning of the
Lunar New Year by street vendors and in book stores. These paperback
books are approximately two inches thick with a wealth of
information about Chinese beliefs. It is said to be the oldest
continuous publication known. Different versions are published in
Taiwan, Hong Kong and mainland China, but unfortunately an English
version is not available.
In the Chinese community it is considered bad form if an individual
consults the almanac and performs a self analysis. That is why a
fortune teller or /Fung Suey/ [/Feng Shui/] expert is consulted.
They usually can also provide horoscope information in advance of
the publication of the almanac.
The 15 day period from the middle to the end of the seventh lunar
month is considered inauspicious because that is time of the Hungry
Ghost Festival when the gates of Hell are opened and the lost
spirits are allowed to wonder the earth. They should not be invited
to your wedding!
/Contributed By: Lim Mar/
Contemporary Chinese Wedding Tea Ceremony <wed2.html>
Contemporary Chinese Wedding Banquet <banquet.html>
Chinese Lion Peformance at Wedding Reception <lion.html#wedding>
*Double Happiness*: Each half of the symbol is the standard
character for happiness, written "/hsi/" or "/xi,/" and pronounced
something like "she" in Mandarin (high level tone ?; the first
tone). Therefore, two "/hsi/" graphs together represents the wish
for the two young newlyweds to have happiness together. The double
happiness graph (pronounced "/shuang-hsi/" in Mandarin) is a special
Chinese character used for marital happiness. It?s not used in
regular Chinese writing or printing. (Source: Chris Jochim,
Comparative Religious Studies Program, San Jose State University,
San Jose, CA)
The Chinese Historical and Cultural Project
chcp.info@gmail.com
<mailto:chcp.info@gmail.com>http://www.chcp.org
?Copyright <copyright.html>, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002,
2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
All rights reserved.
/ Last modified: Tue Jun 11 01:58:01 Pacific Daylight Time /
