1. Have you ever been to a wedding celebration?
I’ve only been to one wedding in my life, and I was very young so I can’t remember it very well. It’s for my Uncle Nicholas and Auntie Nina, who were finally tying the knot after dating for nine whole years. I doubt either of them had cold feet seeing as they had already been together for so long. I remember having to get dressed into some very formal and uncomfortable clothes. They itched a lot and I felt very trussed-up. I also had to kiss all the bridesmaids which was horrible for a young boy as I was then. Afterwards there was a big party called a ‘reception’ where everyone ate a nice meal, gave speeches and drank a lot of wine.
2. What happens at a wedding celebration in China?
In the traditional Chinese wedding, a band of musicians with gongs and flute-like instruments accompanies the bride parade to groom's home. Similar music is also played at the wedding banquet. Depending on the region that the bride hails from, Chinese weddings will have different traditions such as Tea Ceremony or the use of a Wedding emcee. When the bride arrived at the groom’s house, she can’t walk out of the sedan chair; the old matchmaker lady has to piggyback her all the way to the living room. And drop her there in front of the groom’s parents, and the whole wedding she has the red clothes covered her head, the couple will have three kowtow, to the earth and sky, to the parents, and to each other. And the red color is being used a lot, as a symbol of good luck, but in modern times, Chinese couples get to know western weddings via media, so the lady sometimes dressing up in white, and they go to church to have the wedding and also will often go to photo studios to take "glamour shots" posing in multiple gowns and various backgrounds.
3. Why do many people spend a lot of money on wedding celebrations?
I think the main reason people tend to push the boat out for their weddings is that it’s a unique event that will only happen once in their lives. They want to make it special and something to remember. Another factor at work here is the desire to impress all your friends and relatives who will come to the wedding. Not only do you want them to have fun and enjoy the occasion but you also want to show-off a bit. It’s not unusual for some couples to spend ridiculous amounts of money on weddings. There’s a lot of pressure and expectation that a wedding has to be ‘perfect’ so people tend to splash out and spend a lot of money.
4. Do you know of any differences between weddings in China and those in the West?
For western couples, during the wedding the bride walks into the church herself, which is called the bridal march. But during the traditional Chinese wedding the bride doesn’t walk herself. Instead a matchmaker lady has to piggyback her to the living room. Also, in western weddings, people always dress up in white, as a symbol of purity, but in a Chinese wedding the bride dresses up in red as a symbol of good luck. During the western wedding, the groom uncover the face mask by his hands and kisses the bride in front the guests, whereas in a traditional Chinese wedding the groom will carry the bride to their room and then uncover her face mask using a long red stick. As you can see, there are quite a few differences between the two types of wedding.
