Chinese pre-wedding customs are traditional Chinese rituals prescribed by the Book of Rites, the Book of Etiquette and Ceremonial (儀禮) and the Bai Hu Tong (白虎通) condensed into a series of rituals now known as the Three Letters and Six Rites (三書六禮). Traditionally speaking, a wedding that incorporates all 6 rites is considered a complete wedding (大娶, dà qǔ).
The six traditional rites involved in a Chinese wedding are as follows:
- nacai (納采) - formal proposal
- wenming (問名) - giving of the eight characters of prospective bride to the groom’s side
- naji (納吉) - placement of the eight characters at the ancestral altar to confirm compatibility
- nazheng (納徵) - sending of betrothal gifts to the bride and return gifts to the prospective groom
- qingqi (請期) - selection of an auspicious wedding date
- qinying (親迎) - wedding ceremony
Read more about Chinese Pre-wedding Customs: Selection of Dates, Betrothal, Delivery of The Bride's Dowry, Installation of The Bridal Bed, Hair Combing Ceremony, Chinese Wedding Decorations 大喜装饰
Famous quotes containing the word customs:
“We set up a certain aim, and put ourselves of our own will into the power of a certain current. Once having done that, we find ourselves committed to usages and customs which we had not before fully known, but from which we cannot depart without giving up the end which we have chosen. But we have no right, therefore, to claim that we are under the yoke of necessity. We might as well say that the man whom we see struggling vainly in the current of Niagara could not have helped jumping in.”
—Anna C. Brackett (1836–1911)