And The Bride Wore Red…Chinese Wedding Traditions (Happy Year of the Dragon)!

Gung Hei Fat Choi! Happy Chinese/Lunar New Year!  In honor of the Year of The Dragon, the next stop on our cross cultural tour of wedding traditions is China.

A pre-wedding beauty ritual observed by brides since ancient times sounds right out of a high end spa.  The bride would bathe in water infused with essence of pommelo (a variety of grapefruit) to cleanse her of her impurities, and a “good luck woman” would comb out her hair.  Not to be out-done, the groom also prepared by donning a hat made of cypress leaves.

One fun element, more seemingly suited for an episode of the Newlywed game than wedding day is the “Procession to obtain the bride” The groom and his party go to the bride’s house to collect her – but it’s not so easy as all that. The bride’s sisters “block” the door, and an obstacle course of trivia about the couple an other games must be navigated before the couple, with her parents’ blessing departs for the groom’s family’s home.

English: Bride and groom at a traditional Chin...
Image via Wikipedi

Last, we have what is a more contemporary tradition. Modern Chinese couples have taken to having elaborate “glamour shots” taken in their wedding clothes, and other outfits, in different settings.  Is this much different from any bride and groom? Do Chinese bloggers note the rise of the American tradition of the “engagement shoot?” Truly, we’re quite a colorful culture ourselves, no?

Be well, and love well.

-Dinah

 

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