Characteristics of Chinese weddings
The traditional wedding in China is loved by people, especially by many foreign couples, because of its simple, thoughtful, festive and warm publicity atmosphere, which is also the concentrated embodiment and essence of the wedding customs in northern China.
Sedan chair is the core part of traditional wedding. Divided into four people and eight people. There are also dragon sedan chairs and phoenix sedan chairs. Besides bearers, there are gongs, umbrellas and fans. Generally, the sedan team is as small as a dozen people and as many as dozens of people, which is very spectacular.
There are not many sedan chairs now, so you must make an appointment in advance if you want to hold this kind of wedding. Some wedding companies can provide such services. Choose a place in the park or avoid the main road and leave enough space for your sedan chair, because the scene of jumping sedan chair will attract a large number of tourists and cause traffic jams.
The couple's clothes are crowns and garlands, or robes and mandarin jackets. Accompanied by the bridesmaid and led by HongLing, the groom, the bride wearing a red veil slowly boarded the float. After arriving at the sedan chair, the bride changed into a sedan chair.
Wedding preparation process
One month before the wedding:
Communicate the form and content of the wedding with the host. Confirm the sedan chair, clothing, wedding venue, scene decoration and other details.
Two weeks in advance:
Inform relatives and friends and tell them the wedding form. I hope they can also wear Hanfu, which truly reflects the national characteristics.
One week in advance:
Arrange makeup. Details such as venue layout, wedding supplies menu and drinks. One day in advance, go to the scene with bearers, hosts, photographers, etc. , and practice the process of the day.
Wedding day process: (time design for reference)
At 8 o'clock, the bride began to put on makeup and the groom was ready to change clothes.
At nine o'clock, the groom greeted the bride with a float and the sedan chair was ready.
At half past nine, the groom arrived at the bride's house, and the bride covered her head with red. Accompanied by the bridesmaid, she was led by HongLing, who was led by the groom, and slowly boarded the float.
10: 00, the float arrives at the sedan chair position, the couple changes into the sedan chair, and the sedan chair bearer lifts the sedan chair. Accompanied by the band, the sedan chair will be held at the wedding scene. Guests can spray fireworks at the couple, and set up happiness balls or ribbons banners along the way to show their elegance in the festive and warm scene of gongs and drums.
1 1: 00, the couple got off the sedan chair, crossed the saddle and entered the wedding scene surrounded by everyone.
1 1: 08 The wedding begins. The bride changed her clothes and made a toast to the guests.
13: 30 The wedding reception is over.
Newcomers enter the bridal chamber
Necessary customs of Chinese weddings
Departure of the sedan chair: Accompanied by gongs and drums, suona and lion dance, the sedan chair begins to depart. Traditionally, the bride should be carried out by her brother and put in a sedan chair. Modern people are mostly only children, and they can only be done by cousins or groomsmen, usually with their backs to each other. At present, the distance of sedan chair is only a form. Unless the two families are particularly close, it will be very tiring to carry them from one end of Shanghai to the other. However, it is customary to give a red envelope to the sedan chair, otherwise it will intentionally shake the sedan chair and make the bride "feel better."
Archery across the brazier: In ancient ceremonies, the bride crossed the brazier in a sedan chair, but now it is usually the bride who directly crossed with the help of the matchmaker. Then, before getting off the sedan chair, the groom will draw a bow and shoot three red arrows at the sedan door to drive away the evil spirits that the bride may be contaminated along the way.
Visit the church and have a glass of wine: some people have to cross the saddle after the brazier, which indicates that the newlyweds are safe after marriage; Then, the groom picked up Sipa on the bride's head with a weight wrapped in red cloth. At this time, it is time for couples to pay a formal New Year call. The most important part after the meeting is not toasting, but offering tea to the high halls of both sides. Usually at this time, a group of people are in tears, the scene is touching, and there is deep affection in the warm holiday atmosphere.
Heart to heart thanks to the media: in modern wedding ceremonies, many things that should be in the bridal chamber are moved out for display. For example, tying the hair should be a couple cutting some hair for each other in the bridal chamber and keeping it as a token of the relationship between husband and wife. Now this is a public performance. Later, the mothers of both sides lit dragon and phoenix candles, and the couple exchanged incense books and jewels as keepsakes, and then asked the matchmaker to give them hoofs.
Basic elements of Chinese weddings
The rockhopper dress is the most indispensable prop. Bright red clothes look very happy on you, especially the groom's dress and the jade belt with flowers on the top, which are richer than the black suit at the western wedding.
According to the ancient ceremony, the bride was sent to the bridal chamber after paying homage to the bride, and then she opened Xipa to know what the future partner would look like. That kind of mood, modern sedan chair people certainly can't understand. Perhaps, only when you see the interesting appearance of the other party wearing ancient costumes will you shine at the moment.
There are braziers, saddles, bows and arrows, wedding candles, gold scales, hi-pa, scissors, wheat barrels, rulers, fruit bowls, tea cups, wedding wine and keepsakes from both sides.
Nine elements of Chinese wedding
1, the red tablecloth makes your wedding table look more festive.
2.* * * Light the red candle representing love and lead the wedding to a climax.
The couple's clay dolls with rockhopper and sharpay brought a lively atmosphere to the wedding.
4. Decorate with some red berries to make the layout of the banquet more layered.
Red roses are of course the first choice for Chinese weddings.
6. A greeting card decorated with flowers is an essential element.
7. No matter what kind of wedding cake you choose, don't forget to sprinkle red petals on the table to unify the wedding atmosphere.
8. Putting small table flowers in front of important guests is a good way to make them feel your sincerity.
9. Finally, send a wedding candy with strong Chinese style to the guests, and they will be deeply impressed by your perfect Chinese wedding.
Necessary etiquette for Chinese weddings
On the wedding day of the bride, after lunch, her husband sent a sedan chair to meet her at the bride's house. Usually you can go to your husband's house at two or three o'clock. Different from modern weddings, the matchmaker was sent to pick up the bride in a sedan chair, and the groom went there differently. )
After the bride dresses up at home, she puts on a phoenix crown and lets the matchmaker lead her to the sedan chair. (In the north of the Yangtze River, the bride still wears a red Xipa to cover her head, while in the south of the Yangtze River, such as Taizhou at that time, the bride does not cover Xipa. ) After getting on the sedan chair, the bride will temporarily stop talking.
The sedan chair on which the bride sits is exquisite. People outside can't see the bride inside, but the bride can see people outside through a veil. The sedan chair is usually carried by two people, and the front of the sedan chair is led by the band. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, the wedding procession was accompanied by sheng and drums. In the early years of the Republic of China, they switched to foreign trumpets and drums.
Behind the sedan chair is the bride's dowry with "eight shoulders" and "eight shoulders" "Eight lifts" means two people carrying boxes, because fragile things like porcelain, big pots and small pots must be carried by two people. "Eight Bears" means that one person carries one, and wooden products and bedding such as wooden barrels and pots are all selected. (Among them, there are eight sets of bedding, and the saying of these eight sets has been passed down to this day. )
After arriving at her in-laws' house, a wedding ceremony will be held.
At that time, every household had a patio, in which two stacked tables were placed (a stacked table was stacked up and down by two square tables). Sacrifices such as slaughtered pigs and sheep should be placed on folding tables to worship heaven and earth. This is an offering prepared by the rich. People with poor economic conditions use pig's head and sheep's head made of cake powder instead. )
Cross the patio and enter the wedding hall. There is also a square table in the middle of the wedding hall, where the bride and groom light the candles together. At this time, the best man (now the master of ceremonies) began to preside over the ceremony. Best wishes: first, worship heaven and earth, second, worship ancestors and third, worship parents. Newlyweds must kneel and bow, and then get up every time they bow. When they bow for the third time, the groom's parents will come forward to help the newlyweds get up. In the TV series, the groom's parents would sit in the chairs in the hall, but Mr. Chen remembers that their parents were just standing by in Taizhou. )
After the worship, the best man will accompany the bride and groom to the new house for a short rest, and then the banquet will begin, and the newlyweds will toast their elders in turn. After the wedding, the couple returned to their new house. When the banquet broke up, the groom's parents sent guests, some gifts and red eggs.
Next, around 9 pm, the couple's friends will start making trouble in the new house. In an hour or so, the best man will announce the end of the new house and let everyone leave it. The best man must say that the couple can't drive everyone away, and that would be impolite. )
The next morning, the bride will offer tea (Korean ginseng tea, etc. ) Give it to her parents, who will give them red envelopes. Then offer tea to other elders in turn.
On the third day, also known as "Wang San", the groom took the bride back to her family. The groom should visit his parents-in-law. The bride reported something about her husband's family to her mother. On this day, newcomers go in the morning and return at night.
After these three days, the new people began to enter a normal life.
Chinese wedding expenses
A venue has many Chinese wedding links. For example, although flowers can be omitted from the venue layout, there are countless props. Make-up artists will also be very hard, because besides newcomers, bridesmaids, matchmakers, family members and so on. You have to wear makeup. As for the host, the price is even higher, because there are many retro wedding speeches, and many of them have to sing and shout. Then we need to invite a live director who is equivalent to the director to coordinate the people who play various roles. Wedding supervision is even more necessary, because the route of the sedan chair and the coordination of the hotel must always be done by someone.
Chinese wedding tips:
1. The vehicle is still in the city, and the bride and groom's home may be far away. Usually, the bride is taken to a place not far from the wedding reception, and then transferred to a sedan chair.
Since it is a Chinese wedding, it must be "authentic". Clothing, make-up, scenes and props should be consistent with the wedding content, and must not be a combination of Chinese and western, regardless of class, which is contrary to the traditional wedding style.
There are not many wedding hosts who know Chinese wedding, and this kind of wedding pays attention to a lot, and the etiquette is cumbersome. Be sure to ask a professional to handle it for you.