Chinese Traditional Wedding. Chinese Traditional Wedding Summary Pre-Wedding

Chinese Traditional Chinese Traditional

WeddingWedding

Chinese Traditional Chinese Traditional WeddingWeddingSummarySummary

Chinese Traditional Wedding Steps

Wedding DayActivities

Post-Wedding

Do's and Don'ts

Pre-Wedding

Chinese Wedding Invitation

Pre-WeddingPre-Wedding

1.Request for Marrying the 1.Request for Marrying the Bride (Bride ( 提親提親 )) ：： ☻☻matchmaker(matchmaker( 媒人媒人 )) ☻☻negotiation (persuation) negotiation (persuation) between the two familiesbetween the two families

2.Request for Bride and 2.Request for Bride and Groom’s Birth Dates(Groom’s Birth Dates( 問名問名 )) ：： ☻☻eight letters(eight letters( 八字，八字， the year, the year, month, day, and hour of the month, day, and hour of the groom and the bride’s birth)groom and the bride’s birth)

Pre-WeddingPre-Wedding3. Formal Gifts for the Bride's 3. Formal Gifts for the Bride's

Family(Family( 過大禮過大禮 )) ：： ☻☻bridal cakesbridal cakes ☻☻cash, wine, tobacco, cash, wine, tobacco, ☻☻sacrifices for ancestorssacrifices for ancestors

4.Select the Wedding Date(4.Select the Wedding Date( 請 請 期期 )) ：： ☻☻contacting with the fortune contacting with the fortune tellerteller (according to the groom and (according to the groom and bride’s birthdates)bride’s birthdates)

Pre-WeddingPre-Wedding

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

Pre-WeddingPre-Wedding6.Dowry(6.Dowry( 嫁妝嫁妝 )) ：：

☻☻the bridal gift for the groom the bridal gift for the groom (arriving in the groom’s home (arriving in the groom’s home before the wedding day)before the wedding day) ☻ ☻dowry list:dowry list: ♥ ♥24K gold or jewelries24K gold or jewelries ♥ ♥1 pair of chopsticks to 1 pair of chopsticks to indicate “fast son”indicate “fast son” ♥ ♥bed spread, pillows, quilt bed spread, pillows, quilt with dragon- phoenix designwith dragon- phoenix design

Pre-WeddingPre-Wedding

♥ ♥lucky money (Li Shi)lucky money (Li Shi)

♥ ♥maid (wealthy family)maid (wealthy family)

Pre-WeddingPre-Wedding

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

Pre-WeddingPre-Wedding

☻☻combing the couple’s hair 4 timescombing the couple’s hair 4 times：： ♥ ♥first: from beginning to the endfirst: from beginning to the end

♥ ♥second: harmony from now till old second: harmony from now till old

ageage

♥ ♥third: sons and grandsons all over third: sons and grandsons all over the the

placeplace

♥♥fourth: good wealth and long-lasting fourth: good wealth and long-lasting

marriagemarriage

Wedding Day ActivitiesWedding Day Activities 1.Hair-dressing for the Bride1.Hair-dressing for the Bride ：： ☻☻dress up the bride’s hairdress up the bride’s hair ☻ ☻tying up the hair in bun tying up the hair in bun (a style of married (a style of married woman)woman) ☻ ☻auspicious words while auspicious words while dressingdressing 2.Fiesta in Honor of Ancesto2.Fiesta in Honor of Ancesto

r (groom)(r (groom)( 祭祖祭祖 ))

Wedding Day ActivitiesWedding Day Activities 3.Picking up the Bride3.Picking up the Bride ：： ☻☻Chinese bridal Chinese bridal sedan chair(sedan chair( 花轎花轎 )) ↔ ↔flower car(flower car( 禮車禮車 ))

Wedding Day ActivitiesWedding Day Activities

4.Setting of Fireworks4.Setting of Fireworks 5.Door-opening Game5.Door-opening Game ：： ☻☻the groom and the groomsmen the groom and the groomsmen

will be block by bride’s a lot of will be block by bride’s a lot of

tricky questions about the bridetricky questions about the bride

☻☻pay Li Shi money to the pay Li Shi money to the

bridesmaids bridesmaids

(usually 999 dollars)(usually 999 dollars)

Wedding Day ActivitiesWedding Day Activities

6.Tea Ceremony6.Tea Ceremony ：： ☻☻serving tea to the serving tea to the

superior superior

in bride’s family in bride’s family

(the couple)(the couple)

☻☻Li Shi money in return Li Shi money in return

(parents and relatives)(parents and relatives) 7.Red Head Covers7.Red Head Covers ：： ☻☻red silk veilred silk veil

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

Wedding Day ActivitiesWedding Day Activities

☻ ☻ the bride’s farewell is forbiddenthe bride’s farewell is forbidden ☻ ☻Fan(Fan( 扇子扇子 )) ：： ♥ ♥receiving the fanreceiving the fan ♥ ♥throwing away the fan throwing away the fan (a farewell to the bride’s bad habits)(a farewell to the bride’s bad habits) ☻ ☻ spilling the water(spilling the water( 潑水潑水 ))

Wedding Day ActivitiesWedding Day Activities 9.Bride Arriving the Groom’s Home(9.Bride Arriving the Groom’s Home( 過門過門 )) ：： ☻☻going across a bowl of fire(going across a bowl of fire( 過火盆過火盆 )) ☻ ☻stepping the tile into pieces(stepping the tile into pieces( 踩瓦片踩瓦片 )) ☻ ☻three bowsthree bows ：： ♥ ♥first bow to heaven and earth(first bow to heaven and earth( 一拜天地一拜天地 )) ♥ ♥second bow to the parents(second bow to the parents( 二拜高堂二拜高堂 )) ♥ ♥third bow to each other(third bow to each other( 夫妻對拜夫妻對拜 ))

Wedding Day ActivitiesWedding Day Activities

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

Wedding Day ActivitiesWedding Day Activities

10.Chinese Wedding Banquet(10.Chinese Wedding Banquet( 喜宴喜宴 ):):

☻☻roast sucking pig(roast sucking pig( 烤乳豬，烤乳豬， virginity)virginity) ☻ ☻fish (plentiful)fish (plentiful) ☻ ☻noodles (long life)noodles (long life) ☻ ☻sweet red bean soup with “lian zi”sweet red bean soup with “lian zi” (( 蓮子蓮子 )(sweet life, fertility))(sweet life, fertility) ☻ ☻tea (respect) tea (respect) alcohol (celebration)alcohol (celebration) 7-up (seven happiness)7-up (seven happiness)

Wedding Day ActivitiesWedding Day Activities

☻☻retreating line (retreating line ( 送客送客 ) ) (candies, tobaccos served by the couple)(candies, tobaccos served by the couple)

Post-WeddingPost-Wedding

1.breakfast of the next morning1.breakfast of the next morning 2.three days return visit2.three days return visit

Do’s and Don’tsDo’s and Don’ts

1.Li Shi Money1.Li Shi Money2.Don’t give a fan (means “apart”)2.Don’t give a fan (means “apart”)3.one boy sleeping with the groom the 3.one boy sleeping with the groom the

night before wedding calls “night before wedding calls “ 壓床”壓床”4.the mother-in-law and sister-in-law 4.the mother-in-law and sister-in-law

shouldn’t face the door watching shouldn’t face the door watching the bride walk inthe bride walk in

5.certain people shouldn’t attend 5.certain people shouldn’t attend weddingwedding

Chinese Wedding Chinese Wedding InvitationInvitation

Chinese Wedding Chinese Wedding InvitationInvitation

Chinese Wedding Chinese Wedding InvitationInvitation

Chinese Wedding Chinese Wedding InvitationInvitation

Chinese Wedding Chinese Wedding InvitationInvitation

中式婚禮喜帖內容 中式婚禮喜帖內容 謹訂於西曆謹訂於西曆 _________ _________ 年 年 農曆農曆 _______ _______ 年年 ____ ____ 月月 __________ 日 日 (( 星期星期 ____

__)__) 為為 (( 長長 )) 男男 ________(________( 二二 )) 女女 __________________ 在在 ________________________________ 行結婚典禮行結婚典禮 並於是日下午並於是日下午 ______________ 時假座時假座 ______________________

市市 ____________________________________ 酒樓敬備喜筵酒樓敬備喜筵 ________________________ 時恭候時恭候 ________________________ 時入席時入席

　　 __________________(__________________( 出喜帖人姓名出喜帖人姓名 )) __________________(__________________( 出喜帖人姓名出喜帖人姓名 ) ) 敬　敬　

Thank You for Listening

黃孟僑 (Leah) & 張方維 (Michelle)