🎉 For those about to get married, will you follow the traditional customs such as choosing an auspicious wedding day, giving betrothal gifts, moving the bride’s dowry, setting up the bridal chamber, performing the hair combing ceremony, departing from the bride’s house, hosting a wedding banquet, and returning to the bride’s home? 💒 Although there are many traditional Chinese wedding customs, they are an important part of Chinese culture and contain many blessings. Do you know how much about them? 🤔
Giving betrothal gifts, or “na zheng” in ancient times, is the most important ceremony in the “three letters and six rites.” 💍 The groom chooses a good day and sends the betrothal gifts to the bride’s family. 🎁 Generally, this is done 14 to 60 days before the wedding. After receiving the betrothal gifts, the bride’s family must accept them and the gift cakes, agree to the marriage, and then start to send out wedding invitations. 💐 Betrothal gifts include:
☆ Two pairs of coconuts, symbolizing the groom and his father 🥥
☆ Two pairs of betel nuts, the bride’s family keeps one and returns the rest to the groom’s family, symbolizing that the groom will be the only son-in-law 🌰
☆ One pair of dragon and phoenix candles for the groom 🐲🕯️🔥
☆ One pair of dragon and phoenix candles for the bride 🐦🕯️🔥
☆ Two cans of tea ☕
☆ Two red ropes 🎀
☆ Couplets for both the groom’s and bride’s families 📜
☆ Two bundles of fresh cypress, symbolizing longevity 🌿
☆ Two bundles of genuine green tobacco leaves, which easily take root and grow 🍃
☆ Two packs of Beijing-style snacks, including whole walnuts, dried lychee, dried longan, peanuts with shells, lotus seeds, lilies, whole red dates, sesame, green beans, and red beans 🍬🥜🍡
☆ Money boxes 💰
☆ Red envelopes for money and gifts 🧧
These items symbolize the sweetness of marriage, the bride’s integration into the new family, the couple growing old together, and having children. 👪 After receiving the betrothal gifts, the bride’s family will open the gift box with the help of the matchmaker and return half of the gifts to the groom’s family to show mutual blessings. 💞
In addition to the betrothal gift box, there are usually fruit gift boxes and seafood gift boxes. 🍇🦐 However, the fruit gift box should not include pears, oranges, bananas, or melons because they sound like unlucky words. 🍎🍊🍌🍈 The seafood gift box includes hair moss, abalone, shiitake mushrooms, shark’s fin, oysters, dried scallops, fish maw, squid, and dried shrimp. 🍤 Nowadays, cash gifts are more commonly given, known as “seafood gold”; for vegetarians, “vegetarian three offerings” can be given instead. 💵🌱
The traditional betrothal gifts require many items, but modern couples can opt for simplified versions that are available in the market, called “Guo Li” or “Guo Da Li” packages. 💼
