A (), also shortened to () and referred to as red veil in English, is a traditional red-coloured bridal veil worn by the

Han Chinese The Han Chinese () or Han people (), are an East Asian ethnic group native to China. They constitute the world's largest ethnic group, making up about 18% of the global population and consisting of various subgroups speaking distinctive va ...

brides to cover their faces on their

wedding ceremony A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage vo ...

before their

wedding night In many traditions and statutes of civil or religious law, the consummation of a marriage, often called simply ''consummation'', is the first (or first officially credited) act of sexual intercourse between two people, following their marriage to ...

. The is worn along with a red wedding dress. Veils have been used in China since the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

. The custom of wearing the for wedding ceremonies can be traced back to the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

period. The custom of wearing the , along with the traditional red wedding dress, continues to be practiced in modern-day China. However, under the influence of

Western culture Leonardo da Vinci's ''Vitruvian Man''. Based on the correlations of ideal Body proportions">human proportions with geometry described by the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius in Book III of his treatise ''De architectura''. image:Plato Pio-Cle ...

and globalization, most Chinese brides nowadays wear

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

wedding dresses and a white veil, an imitation of Western

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

weddings, instead of the red wedding dresses and .

Cultural significance and symbolism

Chinese culture Chinese culture () is one of the world's oldest cultures, originating thousands of years ago. The culture prevails across a large geographical region in East Asia and is extremely diverse and varying, with customs and traditions varying grea ...

, the colour red () symbolizes good luck, happiness, joy, and celebration. The colour white, which is used in Western Christian weddings, symbolizes death in Chinese culture rather than holiness and purity. The colour white used to be avoided in Chinese weddings in the past.

Cultural practice

According to tradition, the groom would fetch his bride at her home in a

palanquin The litter is a class of wheelless vehicles, a type of human-powered transport, for the transport of people. Smaller litters may take the form of open chairs or beds carried by two or more carriers, some being enclosed for protection from the el ...

on the morning of their wedding day. Before the arrival of the groom, the bride would place the over her head to cover her face. When they arrived at the groom's home, they would perform the wedding ceremonies and rituals (including the Heaven and Earth worship, etc.). When the bride was brought to the wedding room, but just before entering the room, the groom would use a stick to remove her and throw it on the roof while never looking at her face. It was only after the bride entered the room and returned for the that the groom and the wedding guests would see her face for the first time.

History

During the

, Chinese women from the middle and upper classes wore the at their wedding ceremonies.

Construction and design

The is a square of red fabric.

Notes

References