Chinese marriage

Traditional Chinese marriage (Chinese: ; pinyin: hnyn) is a ceremonial ritual within Chinese
societies that involve a marriage established by pre-arrangement between families !ithin Chinese
culture" romantic love was allowed" and monogamy was the norm for most ordinary citi#ens
$n Confucian thought" marriage is of grave significance both to families and to society as well as being
important for the cultivation of virtue Traditionally incest has been defined as marriage between
people with the same surname %rom the perspective of a Confucian family" marriage brings together
families of different surnames and so continues the family line of the paternal clan
This is generally why having a boy is more preferred than a girl when giving birth Therefore" the
benefits and demerits of any marriage are important to the entire family" not &ust the individual couples
'ocially" the married couple is thought to be the basic unit of society
$n Chinese history there have been many times when marriages have affected the country(s political
stability and international relations %rom the )an *ynasty onward" the rulers of certain powerful
foreign tribes such as the +ongolians" the +anchus" the ,iongnu" and the Tur-s demanded women
from the $mperial family +any periods of Chinese history were dominated by the families of the wife
or mother of the ruling .mperor
+arriages in early societies
$n traditional Chinese thin-ing" people in /primitive/ societies did not marry" but had se0ual
relationships with one another indiscriminately1citation needed2 'uch people were thought to live li-e
animals" and they did not have the precise concept of motherhood" fatherhood" sibling" husband and
wife" and gender" not to mention match-ma-ing and marriage ceremony 3art of the Confucian
/civili#ing mission/ was to define what it meant to be a %ather or a )usband" and to teach people to
respect the proper relationship between family members and regulate se0ual behavior
Traditional marriage rituals
%or more details on this topic" see Chinese pre-wedding customs
4 modern wedding held in a +ing *ynasty format
Chinese marriage became a custom between 567 and 778 9C *espite China:s long history and many
different geographical areas" there are essentially si0 rituals" generally -nown as the three letters and
si0 eti;uettes () <nfortunately for some traditional families" the wife:s mother cannot go to
her son-in-law:s family until one year (according to the Chinese lunar calendar or Chinese =unar >ew
?ear) after the wedding has elapsed )owever" during this one year the daughter can go bac- at
anytime
'i0 eti;uettes
3roposal: !hen an unmarried boy:s parents found a potential daughter-in-law" they then located a
matchma-er whose &ob was to assuage the conflict of interests and general embarrassments when
discussing the possibility of marriage on the part of two families largely un-nown to each other
9irthdates: $f the selected girl and her parents did not ob&ect to the proposal" the matchma-er would
match the birthdates (Chinese: ; pinyin: ni@ngAng bB#C; literally: /the D cyclic characters for
year" month" day and hour of birth of a man" which determine his fate/) in which suanming (Chinese
fortune telling) is used to predict the future of that couple-to-be $f the result of 'uan +ing was good"
they then would go to the ne0t step" submitting bride price
9ride price (9etrothal gifts): 4t this point the bridegroom:s family arranged for the matchma-er to
present bride price (betrothal gifts)" including the betrothal letter" to the bride:s family
!edding gifts: The groom:s family would then send an elaborate array of food" ca-es" and religious
items to the bride:s family
4rranging the wedding: 9efore wedding ceremony" two families would arrange a wedding day
according to Chinese tung shing 'electing an auspicious day to assure a good future for the couple is
as important as avoiding what is believed to be an unluc-y day $n some cases there may be no
auspicious dates and the couple will have to review their potential date range
!edding Ceremony: The final ritual would be the actual wedding ceremony where bride and groom
become a married couple" which consists of many elaborate parts:
!edding 3rocession: The wedding procession from the bride:s home to the groom:s home consists
of a traditional band" the bride:s sedan" the maids of honor:s sedans (if there are maids of honor)" and
bride:s dowry in the forms other than money
!elcoming the 9ride: The wedding procession of the bride:s family stops at the door of the
groom:s home There are ceremonies to be followed to welcome the bride and her wedding procession
into the groom:s home" which varies from locale to locale
4ctual !edding Ceremonies: .;uivalent to e0changing vows in the west" the couple would pay
respect to the Eade .mperor" the family deities (or buddhas and bodhisattvas)" paying respect to
deceased ancestors" the bride and groom:s parents and other elders" and paying respect to each other
The !edding 9an;uets $n Chinese society" the wedding ban;uet is -nown as 0F-&Fu (" lit
&oyful wine)" and is sometimes far more important than the actual wedding itself There are ceremonies
such as bride presenting wines or tea to parents" spouse" and guests $n modern weddings" the bride
generally pic-s red (following Chinese tradition) or white (more !estern) for the wedding" but most
will wear the red traditional garment for their formal wedding ban;uets Traditionally" the groom is
responsible for the cost of the wedding invitation sweet treats (often pastries)" the ban;uet invitations"
and the wedding itself !edding ban;uets are elaborate and consist usually of G-86 courses" with
ingredients such as shar-:s fin" abalone" lobster" s;uab" sea cucumber" swift nests" fish roe in soup or as
decoration on top of a dish to symboli#e fertility" and local delicacies Traditionally" the father of the
bride is responsible for the wedding ban;uet hosted on the bride:s side and the alcohol consumed
during both ban;uets The wedding ban;uets are two separate ban;uets: the primary ban;uet is hosted
once at the bride:s side" the second ban;uet (smaller ban;uet) at the groom:s side !hile the wedding
itself is often based on the couple:s choices" the wedding ban;uets are a gesture of /than-s/ and
appreciation" to those that have raised the bride and groom (such as grandparents and uncles) $t is also
to ensure the relatives on each side meet the relatives on the other side Thus out of respect for the
elders" wedding ban;uets are usually done formally and traditionally" which the older generation is
thought to be more comfortable with
9efore modern times" women were not allowed to choose the person they married $nstead" the family
of the bride pic-ed the prospective husband +arriages were chosen based upon the needs of
reproduction and honor" as well as the need of the father and husband
Hing love spells for men I Hing =ove spells for women =ove spells for single people" love spells for
couples" love spells for married people" love spells for people in a relationship and love spells that wor-
fast for lost love 3owerful lost love spells to bring bac- lost love
=ove spells http:JJlovespells-ingspellsco#aJ
+oney spells http:JJwww-ingspellsco#aJmoney-spellshtml
*ivorce spells http:JJwww-ingspellsco#aJdivorce-spellshtml
=otto http:JJwww-ingspellsco#aJlotto-spellshtml
http:JJwww-ingspellsco#aJinde0html
'piritual healing http:JJwww-ingspellsco#aJspiritual-healinghtml
%ortune teller http:JJwww-ingspellsco#aJfortune-tellerhtml
9lac- magic http:JJwww-ingspellsco#aJblac--magic-spellshtml
3rotection spells http:JJwww-ingspellsco#aJprotection-spellshtml
4ddiction spells http:JJwww-ingspellsco#aJaddiction-spellshtml
$lluminati spells http:JJwww-ingspellsco#aJilluminati-spellshtml
Traditional healer http:JJwww-ingspellsco#aJtraditional-healerhtml