Traditional Chinese Wedding (Firecrackers, Wedding foods and Joining of Hair)

5. Noisy Procession to Fetch the Bride


Chinese people like the festival firecrackers to increase the festive atmosphere. At major festivals such as the Spring Festival, Lantern Festival, will set off firecrackers and fireworks, people used to express joy, but also because of Chinese people believe that firecrackers can use to frighten and ward off evil spirits. After the evil had been purged people were able to express their happiness.

Firecrackers are often found in Chinese weddings. The more powerful and loud the explosion, the more good luck is brought to the bridal couple.

Gongs, drums and plenty of noise marks the start of the wedding procession from the groom’s home to the bride’s home, frightening away any evil spirits that may interfere with the couple.
After collecting the bride, the procession snakes its way back to the groom’s house, symbolizing the transition from her own family to her husband’s.

However, due to the firecrackers will generate a lot of negative consequences (such as environmental pollution and wounded people, etc.), some local Chinese people have been banned firecrackers, so in the modern wedding, some people invented a new way to celebrate, which is step on the balloon to instead of firecrackers, this also helps to add a lot to the festive atmosphere to the wedding.

6. Traditional Wedding Foods

Red beans
  Red dates

Dried longans
, Peanuts
   lotus seeds.


Specially selected foods as tokens of traditional Chinese marriage include red beans, red dates, dried longans, peanuts, and lotus seeds.

Red beans are used to make bean paste as a sweet desert, representing  wishes for a happy life for the couple.

Red dates, dried longans, peanuts, and lotus seeds all  symbolize long life, fertility, harmonious marriage, and auspicious prosperity.

The words “seed” and “son,” and “date” and “early” are homophones-they are pronounced the same way but differ in meaning and spelling.

Following the ancient traditions, red dates, dried longans, peanuts, lotus seeds together with fruits like oranges and pomegranates are placed or scattered on the bridal bed, the more, the merrier, with wishes for the conception of a healthy baby.
 
7. Joining of Hair

In traditional Chinese culture, hair is often taken as pledge of love or token of marriage, as one’s hair represents oneself.

The bride and groom each cut off a piece of their own hair, which is then tied together and put into a bag for the bride to keep.

This token of marriage signifies the two people tying their knot, becoming inseparable, and spending the rest of their lives together.