On the wedding day, the bride awaits the arrival of the bridal procession from the groom's house.
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The two old women stay with the bride, assist an encourage her
during the ordeal. They are are ritual specialists and it is their duty to see
that marriage rites are properly conducted.
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| Two old women |
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A group of young unmarried men including the groom set off with great noise for the bride's home.
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At the bride's home door, the bridesmaids are preparing
many tricky questions for the groom to answer. The groomsmen are helping
the groom to pass all these tests.
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| Groom's party |
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At the bride' home, their entry is blocked by a group of unmarried girls. After some discussion the groom's party hands over a red envelope containing money to enter the house. The girls complain that the amount is not high enough.
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Other games are happening. The groom needs to improvise a love poetry to
convince the girls that he really loves the bride.
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| Groom's poetry |
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One young man needs to climb in order to reach lettuce leaves in order to simulate the lion's dance.
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One man, on behalf of the groom, holds a bunch of flowers
to be offered to the bride.
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| Flowers for unmarried girls |
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The bride is dressed in a red silk gown.
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The bride's parents and her relatives give her jewelry to wear.
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| Relatives offering |
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On the wedding day, the bride serves tea to her parents at home before the groom arrives. The tradition is thank her parents for raising her.
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The ceremony at the bride's home is concluded with traditional group pictures.
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| Bride and groom with unmarried men |
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Cheerful and smiling atmosphere at the bride's home.
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| Bride and groom with unmarried girls |
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The bride is then escorted to the groom's home.
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In the past a bridal chair was used from the bride's home to her groom's home.
it was the custom that only virgins may ride to their future husband's home in a
bridal chair. Nowadays Mercedes Benz cars have replaced the red sedan chair.
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| Modern sedan chair |
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There is a feast at groom's house to announce the fact of marriage.
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| Crackers |
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Firecrackers are set off to frighten away evil spirits. Firecrackers are no longer allowed in Hong Kong
but still unofficially accepted on specific events like Chinese New Year and wedding.
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| Crackers |
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There is a sacrifice of chicken and pork to the ancestors.
Click to see more pictures |
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