It’s Chinese New Year this week and it got me thinking about the rituals and ceremonies that you see in the East. I actually lived in Singapore as a child which initially sparked my interest, and more recently I’ve also had the pleasure of photographing several weddings where Eastern tradition has been very important to the couple and their families.
Ancient Tradition in a Contemporary Setting
There’s been a big trend for releasing Chinese Lanterns into the night sky to signify good fortune for the happy couple but let me tell you, that’s just one tradition from a land where symbolism and tradition are still strong. I thought I would share with you 5 Chinese Wedding Traditions that I’ve seen and maybe you might be surprised how similar some of them are to Western traditions!
Setting The Date
Dates are very important and the birth dates of both the bride and groom are taken into account when setting the wedding date, with the services of a fortune teller often sought to identify the most auspicious date.
Even numbered months and dates are considered lucky whilst the lunar seventh month is usually avoided as it is the month of the Hungry Ghost Festival.
The Giving of Jewellery to the Bride
This is a lovely moment to witness, although to Western eyes it initially seems quite strange given that the mother of the groom rarely features in bridal preparation in the UK.
The bride is given four “points” of gold, which consist of a bracelet, earrings, necklace and pendant presented to her by the mother of the groom to welcome her new daughter. Traditionally it is yellow gold but in modern times white gold or silver can be given. The images of Sarah being given jewellery by the groom’s mother have a lovely intimate feel to them.
The Groom collecting the Bride
This is more of a contemporary take on an ancient tradition that’s symbolic of a bride’s family’s love and ensuring that the groom is worthy of his bride and will care for her and love her as much as the do.
The Groom’s entry into the house where his bride awaits is met with a series of challenges that he and his groomsmen must complete before the groom is granted permission to see his bride, lift her veil (if she is wearing one) and kiss her. Given that the bridesmaids often set the challenges they can be quite taxing to complete but are done with fun and love in mind.
The Red Chinese Wedding Dress
The colour red is considered to be good luck, a strong colour that drives away the evil spirits! The dress is usually adorned with intricate and elaborate gold and silver designs including dragons. The one piece dress that I have seen worn is associated with northern China and is apparently called a Qi Pao.
In modern Chinese weddings or where either the bride or groom is non Chinese, there may be several changes of dress! At Sarah and Warwick’s lovely wedding she started the day in a beautiful Sassi Holford gown for their church ceremony before changing into a Qi Pao for the late evening reception. Where there is a tea ceremony the bride traditionally the bride would change to traditional Chinese bridal dress for that and also wear it to the reception. Then, similar to some western weddings she would change once more before the end of the evening to see her guests off for the evening. Apparently this dress is known as a “Song Ke” or ‘see the guests off’ dress!
And why not white dresses in ancient times? White was seen as a funeral colour! It wasn’t until the beautiful and articulate western educated Soong Mei-Ling married Chiang Kai Shek in a stunning western bridal gown in 1927 that the fashion for western style dress was introduced. She was a very interesting woman and worth reading about if you have the chance.
The Tea Ceremony
The tea ceremony is something that I have witnessed but my clients privacy was paramount and I was unable to photograph it on that occasion. It is an intriguing ceremony. It is perhaps the most sacred of the rituals I’ve mentioned and has been carried out since the 7th Century. There is a great piece on the tea ceremony by the Four Seasons Hotel that I would recommend reading – its fascinating and I especially love the representations of harmony with the lotus leaf and sweet tea thought to bring happiness.
And one last thing, Chinese couples will usually have a series of photos done before their big day, rather than on the actual day – I have been privileged to be part of this with couples visiting the UK and Paris for me to capture their ‘before day’ photographs.
A happy Chinese New Year to everyone in this the year of the Sheep and wishing you all the very best for your wedding wherever it may be.