Chinese Wedding Traditions

More articles on the Weddings topic: Wedding Traditions

Here is a brief listing of wedding traditions in China. We found this information by searching the web, so we may be off on a few things. Let us know if you have any others, or if you see any that are blatently wrong.

• There are always rockets acting as protection against bad spirits.
• The bride changes her dress three times during the wedding ceremony.
• The chinese character for "double happiness" is the symbol for wedding ceremony
• The bride is the one who shops for all the new items to be used in daily life, bringing them to the groom's house where she starts a new chapter of her life with him and his family.
• The weddng lamp must be lit when the bride steps into the groom's home.
• In the old days, all communication was through formal letters. Therefore, the letters play an important role in the events.
• A Request Letter confirms the formal arrangement of a marriage
• A Gift Letter accompanies the formal gifts for the Bride's family
• A Wedding Letter confirms the act of bringing the bride into the groom's family

Another tradition would be Combing of the Hair:

Combing Hair

The night before the wedding, both the bride and the groom needs to find a 'good fortune' person to come to their home and comb their hair. Both the bride and the groom must shower before the event, change to some fresh new undergarments and incense will be lit. The bride sits next to a window where the moon can be seen. Their hair needs to be combed four times and each has a special meaning:

The first combing symbolizes: from beginning till the end.
The second combing symbolizes: harmony from now till old age.
The third combing symbolizes: sons and grandsons all over the place.
The fourth combing symbolizes: good wealth and a long-lasting marriage.

The whole action also symbolizes the adulthood of the couple. If either has been married before, then the combing event can be skipped for that person.

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