Chinese Traditional Wedding Chinese Traditional Wedding Summary Chinese

Chinese Traditional Wedding

Chinese Traditional Wedding Summary Chinese Traditional Wedding Steps Pre-Wedding Day Activities Post-Wedding Do's and Don'ts Chinese Wedding Invitation

Pre-Wedding 1. Request for Marrying the Bride (提親)： ☻matchmaker(媒人) ☻negotiation (persuation) between the two families 2. Request for Bride and Groom’s Birth Dates(問名)： ☻eight letters(八字，the year, month, day, and hour of the groom and the bride’s birth)

Pre-Wedding 3. Formal Gifts for the Bride's Family(過大禮)： ☻bridal cakes ☻cash, wine, tobacco, ☻sacrifices for ancestors 4. Select the Wedding Date(請 期) ： ☻contacting with the fortune teller (according to the groom and bride’s birthdates)

Pre-Wedding 5. Set up the Bridal Bed(安床)： ☻moving the bridal bed to the right place ☻place certain good fortune food and fruit on the bed ☻untouched till the wedding day

6. Dowry(嫁妝)： Pre-Wedding ☻the bridal gift for the groom (arriving in the groom’s home before the wedding day) ☻dowry list: ♥ 24 K gold or jewelries ♥ 1 pair of chopsticks to indicate “fast son” ♥bed spread, pillows, quilt with dragon- phoenix design

Pre-Wedding ♥lucky money (Li Shi) ♥maid (wealthy family)

Pre-Wedding 7. Combing Hair(上頭)： ☻finding a good fortune woman and man with living children and spouse

Pre-Wedding ☻combing the couple’s hair 4 times： ♥first: from beginning to the end ♥second: harmony from now till old age ♥third: sons and grandsons all over the place ♥fourth: good wealth and long-lasting marriage

Wedding Day Activities 1. Hair-dressing for the Bride： ☻dress up the bride’s hair n ☻tying up the hair in bun (a style of married woman) ☻auspicious words while dressing n 2. Fiesta in Honor of Ancestor (groom)(祭祖)

Wedding Day Activities n 3. Picking up the Bride： ☻Chinese bridal sedan chair(花轎) ↔flower car(禮車)

Wedding Day Activities n n 4. Setting of Fireworks 5. Door-opening Game： ☻the groom and the groomsmen will be block by bride’s a lot of tricky questions about the bride ☻pay Li Shi money to the bridesmaids (usually 999 dollars)

Wedding Day Activities 6. Tea Ceremony： ☻serving tea to the superior n in bride’s family (the couple) ☻Li Shi money in return (parents and relatives) 7. Red Head Covers： ☻red silk veil n

Wedding Day Activities 8. The Bride leaving home(出門)： ☻red umbrella n (protecting the bride from evil spirit) ☻throwing rice, beans (attracting attention of the golden chicken) ☻the matchmaker will carry the bride on her back

Wedding Day Activities ☻ the bride’s farewell is forbidden ☻Fan(扇子)： ♥receiving the fan ♥throwing away the fan (a farewell to the bride’s bad habits) ☻ spilling the water(潑水)

Wedding Day Activities 9. Bride Arriving the Groom’s Home(過門)： ☻going across a bowl of fire(過火盆) ☻stepping the tile into pieces(� 瓦片) n ☻three bows： ♥first bow to heaven and earth(一拜天地) ♥second bow to the parents(二拜高堂) ♥third bow to each other(夫妻對拜)

Wedding Day Activities ☻bridal chamber(洞房)： ♥sitting on the groom’s pants (together with one heart, fertility) ♥ exchange cups

Wedding Day Activities n 10. Chinese Wedding Banquet(喜宴): ☻roast sucking pig(烤乳豬，virginity) ☻fish (plentiful) ☻noodles (long life) ☻sweet red bean soup with “lian zi” (蓮子)(sweet life, fertility) ☻tea (respect) alcohol (celebration) 7 -up (seven happiness)

Wedding Day Activities ☻retreating line (送客) (candies, tobaccos served by the couple)

Post-Wedding 1. breakfast of the next morning n 2. three days return visit n

Do’s and Don’ts 1. Li Shi Money 2. Don’t give a fan (means “apart”) 3. one boy sleeping with the groom the night before wedding calls “壓床” 4. the mother-in-law and sister-in-law shouldn’t face the door watching the bride walk in 5. certain people shouldn’t attend wedding

Chinese Wedding Invitation

Chinese Wedding Invitation

Chinese Wedding Invitation

Chinese Wedding Invitation

Thank You for Listening 黃孟僑(Leah) & 張方維(Michelle)