Centuries-old Chinese Wedding Rite
- This is a picture of a pair of porcelain figurines – a rare piece of cultural antique, giving a vivid glimpse into the past of our Chinese culture in wedding rites, a vivid glimpse of a proud bridegroom and a shy bride on their wedding
night (洞 房 花 烛 夜）。 - This picture is only a winding up night scene after a long day of ceremonial
rites. It was quite a sight to view the daylong busy, noisy and joyous
celebrations. The colorful decorations ! The fascinating lanterns !
The wall hangings ! The great variety of fragrant flowers ! Everything
so pleasing to the eye ! - However, the most solemn and impressive ceremony took place in
the evening just before the banqueting starts. All guests and relatives
gathered at the ceremonial hall, witnessing the sacred vows of the
bridegroom and the bride. They make the deep bows on their knees
– first thanking the Heaven, then the Earth, then the parents of both
families ( 拜 天 拜地 拜高堂 ）！The fire crackers and the fire works
were then set off outside, rocking the neighborhood ! Everybody then
moved out to the banqueting hall, feasting with the finest of food and
wine ! Winding up the night is the beautiful scene you see in the
picture ! - Look at the picture you will see the bridegroom and his bride were standing
a little distance apart. Look closer in the picture, you will notice that the bridegroom was holding one end of a red silk ribbon and the bride holding the other end – this is the way the bridegroom leads his bide into their bridal chamber. They were not permitted to touch each other (even their hands) until after entering their honeymoon chamber which is brightly and romantically lit by floral candles. - This strange wedding ceremony fully demonstrates the centuries old Chinese
belief in a perfect union of body and soul in a marriage. It is the offering of a
“Love” in its purest form, a love preserved in its totality, a love for keeping for
all the years of one’s life, a love for all the eternity to come. - This pair of porcelain figurines represent not only a cultural antique, but is
also a piece of work of art in Chinese pottery. Look closer at the figurines,
you will discover the vivid gestures of supreme pride in the smile of the bridegroom, and the girlish shyness of the bride with her all-too-obvious secret joy on her face. Another closer look will reveal their exquisite wedding costumes in silk, embroidered in gold, and in colors and styles undreamed of by us today. - There is a lot more for you to discover from your own different cultural or
artistic angles of view. - My deep gratitude and love to my son Mario who is my editor and
publisher, and who encourages me to write more for our readers to
muse and to ponder !?