Traditional Chinese Wedding Dresses

Chinese Traditional Wedding in Modern Times

A Old-school Chinese Wedding

WEDDING DAY AND POST - WEDDING CUSTOMS

The Wedding Day

In contrast to the elaborate preparations, the wedding ceremony itself was simple. The bride and groom were conducted to the family altar, where they paid homage to Heaven and Earth, the family ancestors and the Kitchen God, Tsao-Chün. 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.

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, 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.


On the morning after the wedding:

 The bride should awaken early to honor her new family. Traditionally, the bride would get up and dawn to offer sacrifices to her ancestors. This was also the time when she was formally introduced to her new family for the first time. Typically, modern Chinese newlyweds will visit the groom’s family home the morning after the wedding, where the bride will sometimes cook a meal for her new relatives.

Three days after the wedding:

The couple visits the bride’s family home. This is sometimes the bride’s last chance to spend time with her family, and historically, brides would oftentimes be moving far away to live with the groom’s family. Though these days travel is much more accessible, the third day visit is still an important ritual for new Chinese brides.

The Gift Exchange :

The Gift exchange is a very important part of the post-wedding activities. When visiting the groom’s family on day one, the bride will cook a meal or the couple might bring gifts for the family. In return, the groom’s extended relatives may offer some small tokens to the bride to welcome her into the family.

Visiting the Bride's family on day three :

When visiting the bride’s family on day three, the couple must bring a series of gifts and food. These traditionally include a roasted pig and many gifts for the family members. After this visit, the bride’s family sends return gifts to the groom’s family out of respect. These will consist of the head, tail, feet and half of the original roast pig, symbolizing a beginning and end. They should also send a bottle of liquor, a cake, fruit and vegetables, a green onion (the Chinese word sounds like ‘plentiful’) and a bamboo stick to symbolize rising step by step. They will also sometimes send a baby chicken in a lantern box.

MLA Citation

Local Traditional Chinese Wedding. Edited by Robert Lam Ping-fai. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Museum of History, 1986

"RELEVANT PICTURES IN DIFFERENT CHINESE WEDDINGS"

Relevant  and beautiful dresses

       Usually a crowd of friends escorts the bridegroom and musicians,  dancing lions parade, play joyful tunes during the entire trip.                                                         
                     

Her head would be covered with a red silk

The couple kowtows to Heaven and Earth, the family ancestors and parents successively in the family altar. 

The expected time to remove the silk veil and discover the bride's face.

Wedding Ceremony process

Kowtows Ceremony

Red, symbolic of happiness, presents in the glamorous dresses.

                                           Preparing for the Wedding Day (Marcel Mollinedo)

                                                             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 bedon 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.

                                                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 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.

Citation:

-           www.chcp.org/wedding.html

-          www.chinatour360.com/culture/marriage-customs.htm

Outline (Marcel Mollinedo)

Preparing for the Wedding’s day ( Marcel Mollinedo )

·       The "Hair Dressing" Ritual ,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.
 ·       Retreting to the Cock Loft , , in preparation for her impending departure,  the woman stay away from the boyfriend , she has to change the ordinary routine. 

·       Installing the Bridal Bed , the day before the wedding , is the part of the installation of the newly bed from woman and mens that has childrens.

 THE PROPOSAL

The process begins with an elaborated marriage proposal and acceptance.

A Chinese marriage that does not observe proper Chinese customs is invalid in the eyes of most Chinese.

The important parties in a proposal and betrothal were the parents rather than the bride and groom themselves.

--- Information gathering:

    It is the investigation of the background of the bride and her family. The reputation and social status are important. The groom’s family needs are to be assured. The personality, character and behavior of the bride are above reproach.

   The boy’s parents would send the go-between to present the 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.

   The groom‘s family would place this document on the ancestral altar for three days. If no inauspicious omens the information will be evaluated for an astrological expert to confirm that they would make a good match. If all both outcomes were favorable, the two families will exchange their family records/family tree.

--Negotiation:

    When both families are satisfied, the parents will negotiate on the amount of dowry expected, the tables allocated for the wedding banquet and choice of a suitable date for the marriage. Negotiations can be done directly or through a middleman.

--Engagement:

   After negotiations are ended, the engagement is announced. The bride and groom exchange rings and a dinner is held for close relatives.

--Wedding Dowry:

    The dowry will be presented to the bride’s family according the agreement. The dowry is a symbolic compensation to the bride’s family for the loss of their daughter. The dowry must comply with the status and wealth of the groom’s family. A notification of the date of marriage and further wedding details follow the presentation of the dowry.

  

Citation:

<!   http://www.chcp.org/wedding.html

<!   http://www.china-tour.cn/People-And-Customs/Chinese-Marriage.htm

The Chinese marriage perpetuates and ensures the survival of the family 

                 

 --Chief Objectives in the Chinese Wedding:

1- Joining and enhancing the two families and ensuring succession with numerous descendants.

2- Reverence to parents and ancestors.

3- Omens to encourage fertility and wealth.

4- The bride’s incorporation into her husband’s family.

  

   Since ancient times, Chinese wedding are steeped in traditions that add happiness to the wedding. It also gives blessings that no other wedding customs can replace. The Three Letters and Six Etiquettes have been a basic principle to marriage. It has been practiced since 206 BC making traditional wedding both impressive and unforgettable;

             

           --Three Letters:

  1-The Betrothal Letter . Formal document of the engagement.

  

 2-The Gift Letter  (It would be given to the girl’s family)

. a list of the types and quantity of gift’s designated for the wedding.    


3- The Wedding Letter  (It was prepared and presented to the bride’s family on the day of the wedding)

       . a document that confirmed and commemorated the formal acceptance of the  bride into the bridegroom's family. 

                                                                                                      

                         

                                                                                                              

                                                                                                                   
                              --Six Etiquettes:

  1- Proposing:

         . The boy’s parents identify a girl as their future daughter-in-law through a matchmaker.

   2- Birth Date Matching:

         . The matchmaker assures the compatibility of the potential bride and bridegroom.

   3- Presenting Betrothal Gifts:

         . The bridegroom’s family present betrothal gifts and a betrothal letter to the bride’s family.

   4- Presenting Wedding Gifts:

         . Send wedding gifts to the bride’s family (depending on local customs and the family wealth).

   5- Picking a Wedding Date:

         . To select an auspicious date to hold the ceremony.

   6- Wedding Ceremony:

       . The bridegroom departs with a troop of escorts and musicians to the bride’s home, and after that

          she is escorted to the bridegroom’s home and the wedding ceremony begins: The couple vows to   

          Heaven and Earth, the family ancestors, and parents successively.

Citation:

-           www.chcp.org/wedding.html

-          www.chinatour360.com/culture/marriage-customs.htm

                                   “Chinese Wedding Traditions “

1       ) Introduction: Chinese Weddings are very typical and different from others

                          weddings.

2       ) The Proposal  (Niurka Hernandez)  

·       The process began with an elaborate marriage proposal and acceptance.

3       ) Preparing for the Wedding’s day ( Marcel Mollinedo )

·       The "Hair Dressing" Ritual

·       The "Capping" Ritual

·       The Bride’s Journey to the Groom’s House

4       ) Wedding day and Post-Wedding Ritual  (Yanelis Marin)

·       The Wedding Day 
·       After the Wedding

·       Three Days After the Wedding

In his first book of stories since The Bridegroom, National Book Award-winning author Ha Jin gives us a collection that delves into the experience of Chinese immigrants in America.

A lonely composer takes comfort in the antics of his girlfriend's parakeet; young children decide to change their names so they might sound more "American," unaware of how deeply this will hurt their grandparents; a Chinese professor of English attempts to defect with the help of a reluctant former student. All of Ha Jin's characters struggle to remain loyal to their homeland and its traditions while also exploring the freedom that life in a new country offers. Stark, deeply moving, acutely insightful, and often strikingly humorous, A Good Fall reminds us once again of the storytelling prowess of this superb writer.