Most Southern Chinese weddings follow the main

Chinese wedding Traditional Chinese marriage () is a ceremonial ritual within Chinese societies that involves not only a union between spouses, but also a union between the two families of a man and a woman, sometimes established by pre-arrangement between fa ...

traditions, although some rituals are unique to southern regions of China (), particularly

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...

Guangxi Guangxi (; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the People's Republic ...

Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capi ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

and

Hainan Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slightly l ...

, and in Chinese communities in Southeast Asia.

Bride price

The

bride price Bride price, bride-dowry (Mahr in Islam), bride-wealth, or bride token, is money, property, or other form of wealth paid by a groom or his family to the woman or the family of the woman he will be married to or is just about to marry. Bride dow ...

is often subject to the groom's family economic status. Most brides' families try to avoid giving the impression of "selling the daughter" by not demanding a high bride price. In many southern wedding traditions, the bride price can be in the form of gold jewelry, fine fabric or just money. Sometimes, a roast pig is given as part of the price for the bride. Traditionally, this symbolized that the bride was indeed a virgin, because "pig" () and "virginity" () are homophones in

Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding are ...

. In contemporary weddings, however, the baby roast pig is usually included as the first course at the wedding reception and part of the package provided by the caterer.

Exchange of gifts

Monetary presents are usually offered in the form of a

red envelope In East and Southeast Asian cultures, a red envelope, red packet or red pocket () is a monetary gift given during holidays or for special occasions such as a wedding, a graduation, or the birth of a baby. Although the red envelope was populari ...

, or ''lai see'' (;

Jyutping Jyutping is a romanisation system for Cantonese developed by the Linguistic Society of Hong Kong (LSHK), an academic group, in 1993. Its formal name is the Linguistic Society of Hong Kong Cantonese Romanization Scheme. The LSHK advocates for ...

: lei6 si6), to the new couple. The ''lai see'' symbolises luck and prosperity to the new family. It is also common to give gold jewelry as presents. Wedding presents to the couple are usually expected from the elders (;

: zoeng2 bui3), family members who are older or of higher generation rank than the newlyweds.

Tea ceremony

The elders sit while the couple serves tea to each one, beginning with the head of the family. The elder in return will offer a small present (usually ''lai see'' or gold jewellery) to the couple. This is repeated with the other elders in the order of descending generation rank. The tea ceremony is also an opportunity for the bride and groom to express gratitude towards their parents for looking after them until the wedding day. In Chinese families, one is considered an adult and independent when one gets married. This also serves as the event during which the family meets the new spouse and welcomes him or her to the family.

External links

Chinese Wedding Tradition and Customs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Southern Chinese Wedding Cantonese culture Culture in Guangdong Culture in Guangxi Culture in Fujian Hokkien culture Marriage in Chinese culture

Bride price

Exchange of gifts

Tea ceremony

See also

External links