Combing Hair

On the night before the wedding day, both the bride and the groom have to take the shower, change their underwear while incense has to be burnt. A bride has to find a good fortune woman and a groom – a good fortune man to comb their hair, which symbolizes that the two have become adults now. The bride has to see near the window and look at the moon. The hair has to be combed four times, which also has symbolic meaning:
1) from beginning to the end;
2)  harmony from now till old age;
3) sons and grandsons everywhere;
4) good wealth and long-lasting marriage.
If any of the two has been married before, this act can be skipped.

Nowadays, however, most of the couples don’t follow this tradition at all.

Wedding Day

On the wedding day the houses of both the bride and the groom were decorated in red. The groom would send a procession with carriage, musicians, gifts for the bride’s family and 4 servants to bring the bride to his house. The bride would put on a red wedding gown and her parents would give her jewelry to wear. The groom’s spokeswoman had to enter the bride’s house, take the bride on her back and carry her to the carriage. The bride shouldn’t touch the ground till she came to the groom’s house. As the bride is brought to the groom’s house, the two would perform the ceremony observed by the whole family. The two would serve tea to all older members of the groom’s family. After the ceremony, the groom’s parents would give red packages with gifts to the couple and give a great banquet to all the relatives and friends. Then the new couple may depart for the bridal night.

Today the tradition has changed a little bit. The groom together with the groomsmen would drive to pick up the bride themselves. This is the time when the bridesmaids have the most fun. They stay in front of the bride’s house door and ask the groom tricky questions and tasks. The last task to “pay” for the bride, for which money as well as different gifts are used. When the groom enters the bride’s house, the couple then serves tea to the bride’s family, who, in their turn give the couple wedding gifts. Then the groom and the bride leave for the groom’s house, where a huge banquet is held.

Wedding Banquet

It is very important that the banquet is good organized. Today it is the part of the wedding that can arouse the greatest amounts of conflicts between the families. Traditionally, it is the groom’s family who hast to pay for the wedding feast. But if the bride’s family invites many times more relatives than does the groom’s family, then the issue seems to be unfair. Nowadays, many families decide to divide the expenses for the feast between the two families, or even the young couple pays for the part of the banquet.

Food is an important part of the wedding banquet, and it usually consists of 12 courses including an appetizer. Traditionally such dishes as roast pig, abalone, shark fin soup and end with fried rice/noodles, dessert and fresh fruit are included in the menu.

Before the banquet, the guests usually play some games, which is different from the previous customs. During the feast the friends will toast the couple, trick the groom to make his show his love to the bride and the bride would change her dress (she is supposed to change 4 or 5 different dresses during the wedding day). After the party the couple will go to the bridal bedroom.