kindness and reciprocate with gifts such as soaps. ), Step 1: Everyone assembles where the tea ceremony is being held, Step 2: Opening statement from parents of the bride and/or groom (or potentially an officiant). The groom's entourage will unload the wedding gifts in the car and present them to the bride's family and relatives while an elder from the bride's family leads the groom's entourage into the living room. When the bridal car is about the depart, the bride will throw out a paper fan (with a red envelope and a handkerchief tied to the end of the fan) for her younger brother or sister to pick it up. No one has time or the inclination to sit there and blow on their tea so it can cool. This can also be an opportunity to give the primary wedding gift, but it does not have to be. Immediately following the ceremony, the parents will usually offer a few wise words to the couple and give them lai seered envelopes containing cash, a symbol of luck and good fortune. Are there preferred types of tea? After that, the grooms parents will offer the bride gold jewelry, most notably dragon and phoenix bangles, a traditional wedding accessory. This is important for the couple to discuss with their parents and family beforehand, so there arent any awkward or confused silences! You can ask a relative to be an attendant, but Au says this can sometimes be awkward if they are also recipients of the tea. Elders from the groom's side will sit in the hall as the bride serves them tea and calls them by their familial titles. Led by the "Hao Ming Po" (literally translated as the lady with a good life), the bride will hold the tea tray with both hands to serve sweet tea to the groom's family and relatives and greet them one by one. Here are 5 Kua () Designs that We Love! So glad this was helpful, Lucille! We did dig out the family heirlooms in terms of gold jewelry. Symbolic cash in auspicious amounts (e.g., lucky numbers like $88) for the couples future is most common.Two red envelopes should be preparedone for the bride and one for the groom. The matchmaker will count the gifts, and hand them to the brides family. The banquetAfter the ceremony is completed, the bride will hold an engagement banquet for the guests; the groom will pay part of the expenditure with a red packet. 1-2 hours, depending on the size of the family. Hello! Moreover, the bride should not look backwards during the process. However, with all the hustle and bustle of weddings today, more likely than not, the whole thing takes place in one location. Interested in listing wedding packages with Asia Wedding Network. When a dai kum jeh is hired, she handles this part while also saying auspicious expressions. It has given me plenty of insight for organizing a tea ceremony for my daughters up coming wedding. According to Seven Revisions by Chinese writer Ying Lang (1487-1566) documenting current affairs and happenings in society: The tea plant cannot be transplanted, and after transplantation, it shall not live. A Chinese red tea (known in the West as a black tea) is a safe, crowd-pleasing choice. 1. The newlyweds then bid farewell to the bride's parents and express gratitude for 87 years of expert advice and inspiration, for every couple. Subscribe for the latest updates on new recipes, and get started with our family's Top 25 Recipe eBook! Heres a sample of how things could go: As for exactly how the tea is served, there is etiquette involved. The water-splashing ritual takes place behind the bridal car. A younger member from the bride's family will open the car door for the groom while presenting a tea tray (with apples and tangerines wrapped with red paper). The cup should always be offered with both hands, as a sign of respect. This is said to bring fertility to the couple. The groom and the bride will exchange rings and put the ring on each At an auspicious hour, the bride is ushered out of the hall (without stepping on the doorsill) supported by the groom and the Hao Ming Po. Its an Italian brand called Chiara Boni. A smaller amount of lucky money may be given in addition to a larger amount as an overall wedding gift.. After the tea ceremony, the good fortune woman will lead the bride to the room. After the newlyweds enter the hall, the officiators from the groom's family will accompany them to make offerings to the groom's ancestors. Red Dates (, hngzo): These add sweetness to the tea and symbolize the sweetness of the couples marriage, as well as prosperity and good fortune. if you have larger groups), the bride and groom should serve a cup of tea together to one individual at a time. 12 Chinese Wedding Traditions You Need to Know, AAPI Couples On Celebrating Their Love and Traditions at Their Weddings, Ringing in the Vows: AAPI Wedding Pros on Love, Tradition, Culture, and Heritage, 13 Filipino Wedding Traditions You Need to Know, A Grand, Multi-Day Wedding with an Intimate Guest List in Florence, 9 Korean Wedding Traditions You Need to Know, 16 Mexican Wedding Traditions You Need to Know, An Easy Breakdown of Wedding Ceremony Outline, 10 Christian Wedding Ceremony Traditions You Need to Know, Everything You Need to Know About the Korean Paebaek Ceremony, 10 Common Wedding-Related Events and Parties to Know About, 43 Fascinating Wedding Traditions From Around the World. Thank you for such an informative article. NEED VENDOR DETAILS, PACKAGE DEALS, OR PRICE INFO? During the tea ceremony, the bride and groom should each face the relative of their gender (there are no rules about which side the couple needs to be on). Yours was beautiful! ! The bride will then give a red packet to the tribute officer. 10. After the car arrives, the matchmaker will be first to alight, and the groom should be the last one to get off. Do I give something (jewelry) to the groom? Its outdated, but a fine way to go about things. So each individual should receive a total of 2 cups. Then it would be best to put it on straight away so as not to offend. Thank you so much for this FYI which I hurriedly googled when I learned that I am invited to a Chinese wedding tea ceremony in a few days. Hi there, yes of course you could! Learn how your comment data is processed. Its a touching symbol of the coming together of two families and it gives the couple the opportunity to acknowledge the people who helped raise them. Thank you so much, Marilyn! ! Its not entirely up to the couple, though. The matchmaker usually introduces the grooms side to the bride first, then followed by the brides side to the groom. Again, with modern day and multicultural weddings, you should certainly feel free to put your own spin on traditions that feel right for you! It is then conducted for the grooms family at his home if the day involves the couple going there. Performing the ring ceremonyThe bride will come out of the room and sit on a high chair, while her legs should put on a short chair. Traditionally, the tea ceremony takes place the morning of the actual wedding, but in terms of changing timing, it really depends on what the elders thinkif theyre ok with it, go for it! Kaitlin is the younger daughter/sister in The Woks of Life family. Notoriously unable to follow a recipe (usually preferring to freestyle it), Kaitlin's the family artist, knitter, master of all things chili oil/condiments, and trailblazer of creative recipes with familiar flavors. Do the tea drinkers have to finish the tea in their cup? Please contact team@asiaweddingnetwork.com, whatsapp +852 5976 8089, or LINE asiaweddingnetwork, for further assistance! Theres quite a bit of kitchen coordination involved in preparing the tea and getting it into the hands of the bride and groom. MORE. Gold jewelry is a traditional gift for the bride (usually given by closer family members like parents and grandparents). The groom's family will hold a wedding banquet to treat the friends and relatives, which marks a perfect ending of the wedding ceremony. Usually, the bride is getting herself ready with the bridal party at her familys home, and the Groom and groomsmen pick her up, negotiating entrance with bridesmaids and then finally entering to partake in the tea ceremony. From the groom's But my parents struggled to recall the finer points of their own tea ceremony back in the late 1980s. Dried Longan (, guyun): These represent wholeness, completeness, and esteem. Other relatives can help with putting on the jewelry. When bridesmaids enter the bridal room, the groom will give them red envelopes. 7. The bride should sit on a high chair facing outward with her feet resting on a small, round stool in the hall of the house (if the groom is to bear the bride's family name, then the bride should face inward). Some say that the gold jewelry should be put on right away, but it may be enclosed in the red envelopes along with money, and its not strictly necessary unless someone is presenting it outright. Tea runners, cup washers and tea brewers. Returning of giftsAfter receiving the betrothal gifts from the groom, the bride will have to give some gifts as well. Andrea Lo is a Hong Kong-based freelance journalist specializing in local culture, food and drink, travel, design, and architecture. When the two sides exchange their wedding rings, the good fortune woman will say words with auspicious meanings. Its also an expression of gratitude from the couples part. If I am giving the bride jewelry, and a lei-si. bride will keep a silk fan, meaning that she brings goodness to the groom's family (the Chinese word for "fan" is homonymous to the Chinese word for "kindness"). Before their departure, a firecracker will be ignited to symbolize the start of the ceremony. Asia's largest online wedding resource for brides and grooms in the region. The couple, their parents, and close family members such as grandparents, aunts, and uncles. There was also a table for placing the tea set and gifts. Eating glutinous rice ballsThe groom's family will enjoy glutinous rice balls prepared by the bride. Im so glad you found it helpful, Yuet! She will also ignite a firecracker to welcome the grooms party. Others might choose to go without it altogether. The banquet marks the perfect ending of the betrothal ritual. envelope under the tea cup for the bride to collect later. She goes on to note that this is especially so for the grooms side of the family. (As is the case with many Chinese wedding traditions, the grooms family takes precedence over the brides.) A Ketubah is a Jewish marriage contract signed by the couple and two witnesses. family, a boy should be holding a red wedding tray with two large tangerines wrapped with red paper, greeting the bride and politely welcoming her out of the bridal car. I am 3rd generation Chinese American, and so refreshing to see this observed by younger brides. 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