Chinese Wedding You Need to Know

Have you ever been invited to a Chinese wedding ceremony? What’s it like? Today, we will give you a brief introduction to Chinese wedding ceremony.

When would a ceremony be held? Chinese people are quite picky with the procedure of a wedding ceremony especially with the date of the ceremony. According to Chinese lunar calendar, some days are meant for holding happy ceremony like wedding, moving to a new house, etc. But some days are considered unlucky and some activities should not be performed. “So, when is a ‘lucky’ day?” you might ask. Well, I should say the tradition varies from place to place, but generally public holidays, special days are considered lucky by most people such as the National Day, New Year, May Day Holiday, etc. And as the western Christmas is approaching near, some people choose to hold their wedding on Christmas. Isn’t it a happy thing to receive both Christmas greetings in Chinese and wedding wishes from friends and families?

What is a Chinese wedding ceremony like? Coincidentally, I was quite busy attending friends’ weddings these days. And I have come up with 3 keywords that may help you better understand Chinese way of romance. 

First, happiness. Happiness comes from everyone’s smile. Chinese people especially care about the atmosphere of a happy event such as a wedding ceremony. So, on this day, they will not mention unhappy things and will give whatever the kids like in case they cry. 

Second, difficult. This word is to describe the process of the bridegroom getting into the bride’s room. In a traditional Chinese wedding, relatives and friends of bride’s side will “make trouble” to prevent the couple from meeting each other. And they won’t let go until they receive the红包 (hong2bao1) – (learn pinyin with audio chart), which is a red envelope with money in it. 红包 is also the third keyword we will mention today. In a Chinese wedding ceremony, you can see 红包 almost everywhere. The relatives of bridegroom have to give 红包 to the people inside the door to meet his wife-to-be; guests invited to a wedding need to give 红包 as gifts, and parents of both sides should give their daughter-in-law and son-in-law 红包 when they call their mother-in-law and father –in-law Mom and Dad.

What’s the wedding ceremony like in your country? As a saying goes “When in Rome, do as Romans do.” When you attend a Chinese wedding, be careful with the 3 keywords, especially the 红包！