The Changes of Customs of Chinese Wedding Ceremony
應英碩專一甲楊佳勳 N97c0005
Customs of Chinese wedding ceremony, representing the
importance of the country’s folk culture, are changing and
developing along with the advancement to a progressive society.
These changes could be observed from three aspects, the ways
of match-making, the process of engagemenet and the ritual of
the wedding ceremony.
In feudal society marriage would be decided by ones
parents’orders.
The man’s parents would ask the matchmaker
to help choose a suitable girl, whose looking, personalities
and background needed to be qualified. However, free love has
become increasingly prevailing in the young generation.
Singles make their own decision about the spouse of the future,
not depending on suggestions from parents or matchmaker any
more.
After the match-making,traditionally the match-maker
undertakes “Name Knowing”, inquiring about the girl’s name
and birthday, then asking the fortuneteller if the marriage
would be happy. If the match was auspicious, the two families
would exchange the girl’s and the man’s birthday records.
Subsequently,
there
comes
auspicious
day
choosing
and
betrothal gift, preseneting various gifts listed in a “Gift
Book”document.
The girl’s family would prepare lots of
dowry such as jewelry, clothing, plates, and etc.
Nowadays
current Chinese engagements are not as complicated as the
traditional ones. Most people are in favor of involving the
engagement and wedding ceremony.
For the engagement, some
couples just exchange the betrothal and the wedding rings;
moreover, some like to change the dowry into some modern
electrical appliance such as TV set, a sofa set, a car, or
washing machine.
The greatest difference between traditional and modern
Chinese wedding customs is the main part of formal wedding
ceremony.
In the past, on the weddign day the bride wears
flamboyant dress and complicated crown, very heavy in themself.
The bride must carry this around with her for hours. Unlike
traditional style wedding, modern bride wears both white
wedding dress and festive clothes for the night feast, much
lighter than before. In modern times,the bridegroom drives a
decorated car to pick his bride up instead of a carriage or sedan
chair. Moreover, many wedding rituals are omitted,including
the bride steping over a brazier, knowtowing to parents and
heaven and earth, and entering the chamber in a proper-choosing
time.
Despite customs of Chinese wedding ceremony are changing
considerably, in retaining cultural uniqueness, partial
precious customs of Chinese wedding ceremony are necessary to
be handed down.