Chinese Wedding – Help!
Jan 19th, 2007 | 02:59 PM
#22
Original Poster
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,283
Likes: 9
Not a problem, rk. We have a loaned condo to stay in when in Handan & he is expected to stay with us. Her mother is arranging all of that.
The bride has told us that she will happily be our tour guide for Beijing & the Great Wall which should be a lot of fun.
Ian
The bride has told us that she will happily be our tour guide for Beijing & the Great Wall which should be a lot of fun.
Ian
Jan 19th, 2007 | 03:09 PM
#23
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 793
Likes: 0
Ian:
Here is a great website to read up on Chinese wedding customs.
http://www.chcp.org/wedding.html
How much of these customs are being observed nowadays, depends very much on who and where.
I remember the 3 things in most Chinese weddings: (1) the choosing of an auspicious day according to the Chinese almanac, and (2) "acquiring" the bride on the wedding day by paying off her frieds/relatives, so that they would surrender her to the groom. In communist China, maybe these are not observed, and the (3) tea ceremony when the bride and groom kneel before the parents (and grandparents, and other elderly) to serve tea.
Here is a great website to read up on Chinese wedding customs.
http://www.chcp.org/wedding.html
How much of these customs are being observed nowadays, depends very much on who and where.
I remember the 3 things in most Chinese weddings: (1) the choosing of an auspicious day according to the Chinese almanac, and (2) "acquiring" the bride on the wedding day by paying off her frieds/relatives, so that they would surrender her to the groom. In communist China, maybe these are not observed, and the (3) tea ceremony when the bride and groom kneel before the parents (and grandparents, and other elderly) to serve tea.
Jan 27th, 2007 | 05:11 PM
#24
Original Poster
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,283
Likes: 9
fwiw . . .
My stepson (SS) finally met his future father-in-law a couple of nights ago. Dad slipped into Beijing for a high-level meeting & arranged to pick them up at a downtown mall. He arrived very, very courteous, begged off dinner (too drunk), drove them to the condo (which he now knows they are sharing - prenuptials) & made a date for the next day. His chauffer drove btw. He cancelled the next day as he was urgently pulled away on gov’t business . . .
Hmmmmmmmm . . .
This weekend, SS is in Handan with the whole lot of them for the wedding photos. Dad surprisingly made an appearance & has offered to buy SS the new shoes he was supposed to buy before he left . . .
We have our Visas, tickets for the 5th of Feb & a hotel in Beijing, although we were talked into staying in the condo for the first 2 nights. As for our China travel, future mom-in-law is handing it – she travels all the time too so she turned it over to her travel agent. I picked up the China Rough Guide & a small translation book (sorry Fodor’s I liked their Xi’an section better & that’s where we’ll need help – your book looked good too).
We also bought the bride some jewelry & got a supply of wedding red envelopes. Other gifts remain to be bought but the clock is ticking.
So . . . it’s getting interesting.
Ian
My stepson (SS) finally met his future father-in-law a couple of nights ago. Dad slipped into Beijing for a high-level meeting & arranged to pick them up at a downtown mall. He arrived very, very courteous, begged off dinner (too drunk), drove them to the condo (which he now knows they are sharing - prenuptials) & made a date for the next day. His chauffer drove btw. He cancelled the next day as he was urgently pulled away on gov’t business . . .
Hmmmmmmmm . . .
This weekend, SS is in Handan with the whole lot of them for the wedding photos. Dad surprisingly made an appearance & has offered to buy SS the new shoes he was supposed to buy before he left . . .
We have our Visas, tickets for the 5th of Feb & a hotel in Beijing, although we were talked into staying in the condo for the first 2 nights. As for our China travel, future mom-in-law is handing it – she travels all the time too so she turned it over to her travel agent. I picked up the China Rough Guide & a small translation book (sorry Fodor’s I liked their Xi’an section better & that’s where we’ll need help – your book looked good too).
We also bought the bride some jewelry & got a supply of wedding red envelopes. Other gifts remain to be bought but the clock is ticking.
So . . . it’s getting interesting.
Ian
