First of all, this event happened to my family long ago in December 2005. Well, this is directly related to me but according to customs belief, I am so-called not allowed to joined this event. So I was away and my cousin happened to help me record down the event. Thanks to him I get to understand what happened!
Selection of auspicious dates 看日子 - Auspicious dates are required for the Chinese wedding, so after the selection of date is being discuss, the betrothal date will follwed.
Selection of auspicious dates 看日子 - Auspicious dates are required for the Chinese wedding, so after the selection of date is being discuss, the betrothal date will follwed.
Not to get you all confuse, this event is named, "Sang Jit" as in Betrothal 过大礼/纳彩 (Akad Nikah in Malay) and I understand that it is a kinda Chinese Pre-wedding customs. In other words, quantities of betrothal gifts, return gifts, bride's price 娉金, and number of tables at the wedding banquet provided by the groom's parents for the bride's parents' guest are decided on.
Well, look at all the chinese wedding cakes....... amazing huh! Well, the Bride's family will request for wedding cakes, biscuits and red packets and some other tibits and a piece of roast pork leg.Two pairs of dragon and phoenix candles 龙凤烛are also included. So the above picture shows the individual family customs. My grandma took charge and requested the groom's family to provide 5 different wedding cakes, some are Cantonese traditonal cakes and some are Hokkien biscuits... guess what the Groom is having a BIG headache to find all those cakes/biscuits.- Hap Tou Sou (Canto) - 60pieces
- Kai Tan Kao (Canto) - 60pieces
- Pei Tan Sou (Canto) - 60pieces
- Lin Yong Peng (Canto) - 60pieces
- Zi Ma Tong (Hokkien) - 60pieces
So all together, 300 pieces of cakes/biscuits....WOW! On top of that, 2 bottles of brandy!! Double WOW!
Well, the bride's family will then return some biscuits to the groom's side and including a pair of Passion fruit, some apples, red dates, longan and red packets for good luck and fortune. Complicated!
The elders are recording down the items that are being sent.... well how much respect is shown here from the groom's family to the bride's family.......... very complicated! Well, it's a happy occasion so everyone is excited!
At the end of the session, everyone is invited to a feast, so as you can see here, all the food on the table has a meaning behind it. The Longevity noodles with a drumstick in it. The red eggs symbolizes fertility, the red dates and longan signifies prosperity. Roast pork means full and prosperity in a family. As you see the word "Family" in the chinese character [家] has a top hat and a pig under it, meaning every family that has a pig under their roof is wealthy and prosperity. Get the idea! Well, here you see all the wonderful dishes and food, and you know I am not allow to touch any of it.......... how sad, deliberately I had the intention of eating the biscuits..... one single bite can do no harm I guess. To many it's a taboo......
3 comments:
Tonight I have a former Catholic nephew marrying a Morman girl, and they're having a reception (on a Friday during Lent) with meat, and no coffee, tea or booze. My Catholic family is insulted. They weren't even allowed to attend the wedding ceremony, but were expected to provide gifts. What do you think? See what I think at peoplepowergranny.blogspot.com, and vote in my poll on when it's proper to play by the rules.
Good to record down.... after all its tradition lost if we don't preserve the knowledge :)
I do hope that we will remember all these traditions and remind the up-coming generation what we valued and belief. What matters are the power of carrying on if everything is so simple, life is of no meaning anymore.
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