The question, “What is the ritual for Chinese people to get married?” often arises from the differences between western and traditional cultures. While we know that marriage in the west is very different from that in China, what is the ritual behind the two?
In the United States, marriage has been mostly between white couples. As Chinese immigrants came to settle in America, their customs were adopted by the new population. One of these customs was the marriage ritual. Most newlywed couples in the United States are converts from other cultures. This wedding involves a lot of drinking and some really wild partying.
A wedding invitation usually contains the names of the bride and groom, the date of the wedding, and the location (usually a church or another specific location). The names do not have to be the same, however. It might be” Jill and Paul” or “Mark and Sarah”. The wedding invitation should also indicate the minimum age for the couple (in most cases 18 years old is the minimum age for marriage). This wedding invitation will also specify what food is acceptable at the wedding reception (some religions do not allow pork or alcohol at a wedding reception). The groom will cut the wedding cake for the couple and will sign it after the cutting.
After the groom cuts the wedding cake, he and the bride should sit facing each other and sign a piece of paper that has the names of both the bride and the groom and the date of the wedding. The paper then is handed back to the guests and they eat the wedding feast. Some Westerners like to add an “I love you” message on the paper. Either way, Chinese people tend to eat the entire meal together. This meal is often referred to as the “bing duk”, which literally means “tea banquet”.
Once the wedding ceremony is over, the guests bid the newlyweds “makar”. This means goodbye to the bride and goodbye to the groom. It is a polite gesture to bid them “makar”. Chinese people tend to get very excited about this day. It is actually the last event that the couple is obligated to attend. The wedding feast was very extravagant and was meant to last a long time.
There is a lot of drinking and eating throughout the day. Chinese people believe that the spirits of the dead visit the new-married couple. If the bride and groom have bad luck in their previous marriages, then they may invite the spirits of their former partners to visit them on this special day. It is also believed that on this day, the departed souls will see their loved ones and get inspired to find happiness again. If the bride and groom are having some sort of problem, then this spirit may bring back their happiness by giving them some divine advice.
After the wedding ceremony, the bride and groom go to their new home. Chinese people believe that the new home will be there forever and will be in a better place if they keep their old customs there. On this special day, the family of the bride and groom makes a wish for the new beginning and the success of the new life. What is the ritual for Chinese people to do after the wedding?
If they are not Chinese people, then you can follow the custom of adding red paper lanterns to their homes. It is believed that these lanterns will bring good luck into the home. If the bride and groom’s parents want to make an extra special token of gratitude to their daughter, then they can add a pair of red shoes to their new house as well. What is the ritual for Chinese people to do after they get married? Well, they just have to celebrate the happy event by enjoying a nice dinner with their friends and relatives.