A combination of beautiful traditions and unique rituals at a Chinese wedding

Each nation has its own wedding traditions. For a Russian person, some of them seem strange, others cause delight and admiration. In any case, a wedding is a special day, a bright and happy holiday. Chinese weddings are one of the most spectacular in the world. A wedding includes many rituals, including a proposal, checking the newlyweds for horoscope compatibility, matchmaking and engagement, choosing wedding dresses and the wedding ceremony itself.

Forms of marriage accepted in China

Men and women who are 22 years old and 20 years old, respectively, have the right to marry in China. The law prohibits formalizing relationships between representatives of the same sex.

Today in China there are the following forms of marriage:

1. Traditional union, that is, the conclusion of a classic marriage between a man and a woman.
2. Polygamy or polygamy. This type of marriage is quite rare in China. The state itself does not particularly approve of such a union, and the financial situation of the spouse should allow him to support several wives.
3. Sororate, in which the husband simultaneously or over time marries several of his wife’s relatives. In this case, marriages with subsequent women can be carried out both during the life of the first wife and after her death.

Rarely, but still found in China, polyandry (polyandry). Modern families have the right to live in a civil union.

According to the Law of the Republic of China (PRC) “On Marriage” (adopted in 1980, amended in 2001), marriage in China is based on freedom of marriage, monogamy, and gender equality.

The basic principles of family law in China are:

• protection of the rights and interests of women, children and the elderly;
• fertility planning;
• prohibition of domestic violence and domestic abuse;
• It is the duty of every family member to maintain equal and civilized relations.

As for the second point, it is likely that in 2019 the Chinese authorities will completely abolish birth control. This is due, on the one hand, to the aging of the population, and on the other, to a significant predominance of the male population over the female population.

Groom's outfit

Just like women's clothing in Asian countries, men's traditional costumes in Japan and Korea are slightly different. Both feature wide harem pants, but unlike the Korean look, where the clothes are completely loose, in Japan, kimonos are still belted. In a modern interpretation, men's Asian style is based primarily on a loose cut.

@ambush_official, @universal_works

All the clothes seem to be deliberately large - this refers to traditional silhouettes. In addition, shirts and jackets often use V-shaped necklines, like kimonos. Many designers also do not use collars, as on traditional Korean clothes, and create shocking, but at the same time minimalistic things.

@jnby_russia, @huecst_

Features of the wedding ceremony in China

The Chinese sacredly honor the traditions established over centuries, so wedding ceremonies in China are almost the same as they were many years ago. Watching a Chinese wedding take place is extremely interesting, because the process includes a number of fascinating and touching rituals.

Matchmaking ritual and engagement

First, the parents of the bride and groom must exchange letters notifying them of the upcoming matchmaking and the wedding of their children.

One of the next stages of matchmaking is card fortune telling. The groom sends a special note to the bride's family, which indicates the eight hieroglyphs of life: the man's last name, year, month, day and hour of birth. With the help of this data, fortune telling is carried out on the compatibility of young people.

If the result of the fortune telling is successful, the same information is sent to the groom's family from the bride. Based on the birth dates of both participants, the most prosperous day for getting married is calculated.

In some cases, a matchmaker is sent to the bride's house on behalf of the groom's family. It is she who finds out and gives the man the girl’s name and date of birth.

If according to fortune telling the bride and groom are compatible, the families exchange gifts. The girl's family receives jewelry, money, sweets, and wine. In return, clothes are sent to the groom's relatives as a gift.

The bride's relatives also send the groom a dowry - items to decorate the room in which the celebration will take place.

Chinese wedding traditions stipulate that, along with gifts, the newlyweds exchange silver coins qiu and yong, confirming the consent of the parties to the wedding.

When the relatives of the bride and groom meet, a marriage contract is concluded, which specifies mutual guarantees for the newlyweds and the amount of the ransom.

How do they prepare for a wedding in China?

The main role in preparing for a Chinese wedding is given to the bride. After matchmaking, the girl will have to complete the following steps:

1. Saying goodbye to loved ones is a touching ritual of mourning. It is assumed that after the wedding, the young wife will belong only to her husband, so she needs to mourn the loss of her family. To do this, the bride and her relatives go to a quiet, cozy place where they can give vent to their feelings and remember the happy moments of their life together.
2. Go through the bathing ritual. This is a beautiful tradition, after which, according to legend, the bride must be cleansed of evil spirits. The ritual is carried out on the eve of the wedding: the girl takes a bath with the addition of healing herbal infusions and grapefruit juice.
3. “Update” before the wedding. According to ancient tradition, the bride must remove all hair from her face, that is, completely pluck her eyebrows and eyelashes. Today this ritual is outdated, but is still carried out in families where ancient customs are strictly followed.
4. Choose a wedding outfit. According to tradition, the national wedding dress in China should be red, which symbolizes love and happiness. Previously, the girl dressed up in a red silk robe with the image of a dragon and phoenix, decorated with beads, pearls and embroidery. A massive crown trimmed with feathers, pompoms and beads is another element of the bride’s wedding dress. Today, Chinese girls wear more modern dresses for weddings, but still lean toward red.

In the old days, the Chinese bride and groom often saw each other only at the wedding. The parents were involved in selecting a spouse for the child. Often the wedding agreement took place before the children were born.

Today, a lot has changed; young people choose their own mate. But as before, marriages do not take place without the consent of the parents and the mutual exchange of gifts.

The actual wedding celebration

A wedding in China is an incredibly beautiful ritual. The wedding ceremony includes the following stages:

1. Ransom. On the wedding day, the groom brings four gold coins wrapped in red cloth and other gifts to the bride's house. This is a ransom for which the girlfriends let the girl out of the house. In the bride's house, the future husband is given two chopsticks, which are a symbol of the speedy birth of heirs.
2. Worship. The young bow three times, kneeling. Bows are given to the earth, heaven, parents and elders, as well as to each other. The ritual is an oath of the newlyweds in love and fidelity.
3. Unity of cups. A beautiful tradition in which the newlyweds take a few sips of wine from cups tied with a red ribbon, and then exchange glasses.
4. Tea ceremony. Chinese wedding customs require tea drinking. The bride treats the groom's relatives to classic Chinese tea. After which it is customary to give her money in a red envelope or pre-agreed valuable things for future married life.

A Chinese wedding is accompanied by noise and fun. The bride arrives at the groom's house amid fireworks and cheers. Grain and rice are scattered in front of the girl - a symbol of fertility. Guests perform unicorn or lion dances.

When the bride enters the groom's house, she must step over the saddle, which in China means peace.

After the ceremony

A very important stage of a Chinese style wedding is the banquet. The feast is held after the wedding.

At the celebration, a film about the newlyweds and a portfolio from a photo shoot, which was held 1.5-2 months before the wedding, are shown. Upon entering the banquet hall, guests are greeted with a full-length photo of the bride and groom.

The menu takes a long time to compose and is constantly adjusted. Food at a wedding should be tasty, expensive and sophisticated.

Fish is one of the must-have dishes. Instead of cake, various fruits and sweets were usually placed on the table as a snack.

During a feast, as a rule, it is not customary to organize dancing or noisy competitions. The young people change clothes several times to demonstrate traditional outfits.

If previously the bride looked like a living statue at her own wedding - she was silent and did not eat anything, now she can also take an active part in the program.

During meals, it is customary to talk and congratulate the newlyweds. After the newlyweds have eaten, they go around all the tables at which the guests are sitting, inviting them to drink wine or rice vodka. The banquet ends with the presentation of money and gifts to the newlyweds.

A Chinese wedding does not last long and, if desired, can be continued as an after party for the newlyweds and their friends.

Chinese bride's dowry

The groom's family must send a letter to the bride's family requesting the bride's dowry to decorate the room. If there is no dowry, then the wedding will not take place. The bride's family must send a dowry in return; the quality and quantity of the dowry will determine the status of the bride in the family of her future husband. According to tradition, the dowry includes scissors that look like two butterflies; they symbolize the warmth in the house. A vase is sent, it represents a symbol of peace, a pot of fruit, which signifies fertility, and coins, which speak of rich prosperity.

Is it possible for a Chinese citizen to marry a foreigner?

Love knows no boundaries, so marriages between representatives of different countries and nationalities are not uncommon. However, in modern states, specific requirements have been formed for the institution of marriage, and therefore, in order to legitimize a union with a foreigner, the following rules will have to be observed:

• reach marriageable age (for example, you can marry a Chinese citizen no earlier than 20 years old);
• prove voluntary marriage, absence of selfish reasons and violence;
• undergo a medical examination.

It is necessary to confirm that the groom (bride) is not married to another person, and also does not have mental disabilities.

If all the requirements are met, you can begin to prepare a package of documents for marriage with a foreigner.

What documents to prepare

If the marriage takes place on the territory of the Russian Federation, then before submitting an application to the registry office, future newlyweds must prepare the following documents:

• the foreign fiancé prepares a foreign passport and a translation of the document into Russian certified by the consulate (or notary);
• both parties issue certificates stating that they are not married to other people;
• if necessary, you must obtain permission to enter into an alliance at the consulate;
• certificate of divorce or death of the former spouse of the bride and groom, if any;
• documents confirming the legality of residence of a foreigner on the territory of the Russian Federation;
• in some cases you will have to issue a certificate of no criminal record;
• if a foreign fiancé has a child and came to Russia with him, he must present documents for the child and the mother’s permission for his departure to the registry office;
• You will need a receipt for payment of the state duty.

Foreign certificates and documents are translated into Russian. If the marriage is planned to be concluded on the territory of another state, the list of documents will be approximately the same, only they will have to be translated into a foreign language and contacted by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The main document for the registry office is an application for marriage registration. A sample can be found on the Internet or taken from the registry office.

How marriage is legalized in the CIS

Legalization of a marriage certificate is necessary for stamping a passport, changing a surname, registering joint children, and obtaining citizenship by one of the spouses.

If the marriage was concluded on the territory of the CIS, documents on registration of the union are recognized without any problems, that is, according to a simplified scheme. The technique involves affixing a special stamp - an apostille - on the marriage certificate.

Legalizing marriage on a general basis is more difficult. To do this, you will need to provide the following documents to the Russian consulate located in the country of registration of relations:

• an application that can be taken at the consulate or printed;
• foreign and internal passport;
• Marriage certificate;
• receipt for payment of state duty.

The specialist takes the documents for review and sets a date for the next visit. The procedure may take a long time. In addition, under certain circumstances, marriage legalization may be refused.

Shoes

The most interesting and most visible part of this trend is flip-flops. For quite some time now, the famous toe sandals from Bottega Veneta and Khaite have been setting the style at many weddings. The bottom line is that in Asian countries, flip-flops are part of the traditional costume. This trend includes the iconic Tabi from Maison Margiela, inspired by Japanese leather socks with a thumb compartment and also fastened with hooks along the ankle.

@newbottega, @maisonmargiela

Traditional Korean shoes are ballet flats made of satin. Since “toy” colors and “doll” silhouettes are now often associated with South Korea, such shoes can be found in a slightly ironic interpretation. Japanese designers also often use the technique of irony when creating models of sneakers and sneakers. That is why now Japanese brands are considered one of the most extraordinary. These shoes can be easily combined with suits and dresses of unusual silhouettes for Europeans.

@maison_kimhekim, @miharayasuhiro_official

Divorce process in China

Elderly Chinese residents are extremely dissatisfied with the fact that the divorce procedure in the country has been greatly simplified and takes 10–15 minutes, whereas recently a divorce took at least a month and was complicated. Such changes have led to an increase in the divorce rate. There are now more divorces in China than marriages.

The main reasons for divorce in China:

• incompatibility of views and characters;
• sexual dissatisfaction of partners;
• quarrels in the process of running a common household, financial difficulties;
• adultery.

Modern Chinese are not trying to increase the marriage rate, overcome difficulties and stay together. It seems much simpler to them to file an application and quickly get a divorce.

Chinese wedding banquet

The most difficult moment is when they make up the lists of guests who will attend the wedding. The Chinese banquet is such an important event, sometimes they change the dishes even up to 12 times. Dishes must be expensive and of high quality. This is the main rule of the banquet. Fish must be present on the table; it represents a symbol of abundance. Well, what would a wedding be without liqueurs and wines? The wines should be the most expensive in order to show the guests all the richness of the wedding and their families.

The guests all sit at a large round table, they are seated in a special way, the guests sitting next to each other must know each other. Until the holiday begins, all present guests have the right to play some wedding games, take pictures with the groom or the bride, or with both at once. During the celebration, according to tradition, soup cooked with shark fins is served, one of the most respected men should make a toast or wishes to the newlyweds.

And the newlyweds, in turn, should thank each guest individually for their good wishes and, in return, express their wishes to them. Women should have beautiful dresses, of course, red, but not more beautiful than the bride’s dress. The bride should have the most beautiful appearance, no one should overshadow her beauty.

Friends begin to organize various funny pranks so that the future husband shows all his love for his future wife. When the banquet begins to come to an end, the newlyweds, together with their relatives, begin to see off the guests at the door, and each guest individually. In the modern world, the Chinese do not always try to strictly observe all national traditions and sacred rituals, or choose traditional dresses and outfits. But at any wedding you can see some elements of even the most ancient customs.

Chinese traditions have generally changed a lot regarding weddings, but the Chinese have retained at least some of those old traditions. Although, in many other countries, traditions have completely changed, and there are not even any old customs, but China is a country where they respect ancient traditions and appreciate what their ancestors came up with. It is worth noting that it is not for nothing that they carry out rituals that symbolize fertility. After all, China has the highest birth rate, which means that their superstition does not go unnoticed and helps them in fertility. The Chinese believe that thanks to these rituals they have large families.

Summarize

A Russian-Chinese wedding is truly a stunning spectacle. The unity of traditions and customs of the two peoples makes the holiday unusual and spectacular; a wedding in China promises unforgettable emotions for Russians.

According to statistics, a marriage between a Chinese man and a Russian woman lasts longer than a marriage with a Chinese woman. The difference in nations and customs brings partners together and makes them interesting to each other. The main difficulty in such a relationship is said to be learning a foreign language.

Bureaucratic difficulties are only a temporary stage. You can complete the documents without any obstacles if you follow the law and do everything on time.