When the groom arrives at his future bride’s house, he has to haggle with the bride’s friends, who would be the bridesmaids in Western weddings. German newlyweds might saw a log in half to represent their first challenge as a couple. 18. Polyandry, the practice of one woman having multiple husbands, is traditionally considered by Han as immoral, prohibited by law, and uncommon in practice. Therefore, the brokers would spend most of their time travelling back and forth between the two households to persuade them of the marriage. Sometimes both families were influential and wealthy and the matchmaker bonded the two families into powerful households. After they are reunited, both wives may be recognized. A traditional Chinese wedding is often full of beautiful, meaningful, and sometimes bizarre rituals. Nonetheless, there are a few basic wedding customs that cut across these groups. Chinese men gave their Turki wives privileges which Turki men's wives did not have, since the wives of Chinese did not have to wear a veil and a Chinese man in Kashgar once beat a mullah who tried to force his Turki Kashgari wife to veil. Normally a perfect couple must have similar social status, economic status, and age. Endogamy among different classes in China were practiced, the upper class like the Shi class married among themselves, while commoners married among themselves also, avoiding marriage with slaves and other ordinary people. Using a betrothal gift for family financial needs rather than saving it for the bride was viewed as dishonorable because it appeared as though the bride has been sold. Still, the divorce rate in China is less than half what it is in the United States. Nowadays, some couples prefer to hold his on the same day of the wedding ceremony. During the Han Dynasty, the rulers of the powerful Xiongnu tribe demanded women from the imperial family. During a formal Chinese wedding proposal, the groom’s family will present different gifts to announce the engagement, which is usually food and cakes. How Do I Cut Down on Wedding Expenses? [17] In the preceding year, there were two first days of spring. When picking a wedding date, couples must always consult with a Chinese monk, fortune teller, or a Chinese calendar to ensure that the wedding falls on an auspicious date. During ancient times, many practices and rituals were performed. Click here for some examples of some door games. "[7] A marriage broker had the license to play important roles by arranging marriages between two families. Thank you very much! Don't miss out on wedding trends and inspiration! Created by special circumstances. Bridesmaid Games When the groom arrived at the bride's house, the groom's party would be met by the bride's friends, who would ha… Finally, the bride’s family give “return gifts”, a gesture that says they wish to maintain a good relationship with the groom’s family. The attendant opens the envelope, counts the money and records the information in the book so the newlyweds know how much each guest gave. In such ceremonies, which are a recent innovation with no historic antecedent, the bride and groom bow and pay respects to a large portrait of Confucius hanging in the banquet hall while wedding attendants and the couple themselves are dressed in traditional Chinese robes. [14] According to the law married woman must be loyal to her husband, and anyone who discovered an affair of the woman should report her immediately. Women continued to belong to their husband's families even if they had passed. The neo-Confucian opposition to widow remarriage was expressed in an oft-quoted aphorism of Zhu Xi: "It is a small matter to starve to death, but a large matter to lose one's virtue." Collecting the bride. An average of 10 million couples get married every year in China, creating an $80 billion industry. [26] However, such phenomena don't contradict the increasing permissiveness of the systems and of married couples which lead to the constant growth in divorce rates in China. None the less, these traditions are highly esteemed and regarded as vital parts to a wedding. Although, the matchmakers were licensed to keep secrets about affairs because keeping privacy of their clients was their obligation. Within Chinese culture, romantic love and monogamy was the norm for most citizens. In some cases, a young, healthy boy jumps on the bed as this is believed to help the couple in conceiving children. He remarries, and later the first wife is found to be alive. When the groom surpasses all the tests and finishes all the door games, the bride finally comes out of the room and proceeds to the car while a bridesmaid holds a red umbrella over he head to protect the bride from evil spirits. This album is displayed at the banquet for guests to enjoy. [6] The rules stated that "in order to arrange a marriage, an agent must come and deliver messages between the two families. If not, sometimes a relative may do so. The Chinese tea ceremony is the most important wedding tradition because it’s the time that the bride and groom pay respect to their parents and express their gratitude for the many years under their wing. At yet again an auspicious date and time (usually 2-3 days before the actual wedding), the bridal bed will be installed in the bridal room by a man of good fortune–one with a living husband, children, and grandchildren. The visiting payment was always measured by "wen" or cash. He had recently banned all non-patrilineal forms of inheritance, while wanting to preserve the proper order in the Chinese kinship. During this ceremony, the bride’s parents also bestow a dowry to the bride which means that she is given property from her parents to start her new life as a married woman. The groom would lead a procession, accompanied by a child (to symbolize future sons). After this, they proceed to do the same with the groom’s parents and relatives. Enquire with and book your suppliers to go into the draw. 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