Authored by Lisa Bower in Wedding
Published on 11-21-2009
Tradition is everything when it comes to Chinese wedding superstitions. Often, such traditions and wedding superstitions age back hundreds of years and are serious business. Following or acknowledging such superstitions is considered an act of respect to one’s family, culture, and community. In fact, Chinese weddings are often family and community affairs.
Selecting the date of a wedding is a major piece of Chinese wedding superstitions. This isn’t a matter of choosing a time of year the couple loves or being married on their anniversary. Instead, the day has to be deemed a lucky one. This means that the moon and stars have to be properly positioned and that the numbers of the month and day have to be lucky. Thus, Chinese families often consult a lunar calendar before selecting the date of the wedding.
The clothing a couple wears to a Chinese wedding is important. Superstition says that clothing should be white, yellow, red, or come combination of these colors. Chinese wedding superstition says that dark colors like black and blue will bring bad luck to the marriage.
In fact, in Chinese culture, the color red is seen as extremely lucky. People tend to incorporate it into many special occasions. Thus, people not only wear red to weddings but also give money in red envelopes as gifts to the family and to the couple. It is not uncommon for everything from the napkins and tablecloths to the bride’s dress to be a rich shade of red.
Since boys are most commonly honored or valued in traditional Chinese society, another superstition is linked to the couple conceiving a baby boy. Thus, the man must roll over the newlywed’s bed to give the couple good luck in having a baby boy. Often, the groom’s parents will provide the couple with a new bed. Chinese wedding superstitions have the groom sleeping on the bed the night before the event. The family may also have a male nephew or family member bounce on the bed to help the couple conceive a male heir.
The gifts given to a couple are also affected by Chinese wedding superstitions. For example, tradition says not to give sharp objects like cutlery because it will result in a broken or damaged marriage. Conversely, it is common to give a chamberpot to a couple because it is said to be give the new couple the best of luck.
Luck is everything when it comes to Chinese wedding superstitions. For example, if it rains during a ceremony, it is said that this will bring the couple great happiness and prosperity. The throwing of rice and breaking of something during the reception is also supposed to bring good luck to the couple.
Chinese wedding superstitions are meant to help bring a new couple the best of luck when it comes time for them to begin their lives together. The rules and traditions associated with such weddings have been followed and passed down for hundreds of years. There really isn’t anything like a traditional Chinese wedding!
