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Worldly wedding guest observes the customs of a Chinese marriage
By Huang Shunfu |
March 28, 2011, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A Swedish friend of mine enjoys attending Jiading locals' wedding ceremonies and got particularly interested in the delicate etiquettes of this traditional event.
He recalled some extraordinary fun during a wedding ceremony held in Jiangqiao Town. After the feast usually comes the climax of a traditional Chinese wedding, when the guests get the bride and groom to play a couple of games they designated to lighten the mood. In his words, it was really a battle of wits, courage and dexterity between hosts and guests.
As soon as the banquet came to an end, the master of ceremonies connected a line of benches all the way to the bridal room.
The newlyweds had to enter the room by stepping only on the benches according to a tale-based custom named "walking over the magpie bridge." It is said that the newlyweds will never separate as long as they pass the "bridge." As the story goes, the beloved couple, a cowherd and weaving maid, was separated by the goddess with the Milky Way, and could only reunite on the seventh day of the seventh month of lunar calendar by crossing the bridge connected by countless magpies.
The newlyweds staggered over a dozen of benches with dried longan, jujube and peanuts, which carry auspicious connotation in Chinese, placed under the bench legs. Most people may find it difficult to step over the benches with such obstacles, let alone a drunken groom.
The parents of the newlyweds tried to distract the guests' attention by distributing candies or encouraging them to set off firecrackers so that they could remove the obstacles. The bride had to keep her feet above the ground on her way to the room, which meant the groom had to hold her on his shoulders or in his arms.
He recalled some extraordinary fun during a wedding ceremony held in Jiangqiao Town. After the feast usually comes the climax of a traditional Chinese wedding, when the guests get the bride and groom to play a couple of games they designated to lighten the mood. In his words, it was really a battle of wits, courage and dexterity between hosts and guests.
As soon as the banquet came to an end, the master of ceremonies connected a line of benches all the way to the bridal room.
The newlyweds had to enter the room by stepping only on the benches according to a tale-based custom named "walking over the magpie bridge." It is said that the newlyweds will never separate as long as they pass the "bridge." As the story goes, the beloved couple, a cowherd and weaving maid, was separated by the goddess with the Milky Way, and could only reunite on the seventh day of the seventh month of lunar calendar by crossing the bridge connected by countless magpies.
The newlyweds staggered over a dozen of benches with dried longan, jujube and peanuts, which carry auspicious connotation in Chinese, placed under the bench legs. Most people may find it difficult to step over the benches with such obstacles, let alone a drunken groom.
The parents of the newlyweds tried to distract the guests' attention by distributing candies or encouraging them to set off firecrackers so that they could remove the obstacles. The bride had to keep her feet above the ground on her way to the room, which meant the groom had to hold her on his shoulders or in his arms.
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