Getting Married in China? Learn These 4 Traditions First!
Teaching Chinese culture and tradition is an essential part of teaching Mandarin Chinese. Not only are the words and phrases important, but learning about the lives of Chinese people adds a motivation to integrate and inspire my students to continue to pursue the language. Today, I’m going to introduce four traditional events that Chinese couples getting married in China must do before they start their new life together.
Getting married and having a wedding is one of the most important events in most people’s lives throughout the world. It’s a big deal not only for the newlyweds, but also for their families and friends. Each culture has its unique wedding traditions. In the US, the bride tosses her bouquet of flowers into the single female guests to determine who will be the next to marry. Korean grooms must have their feet whipped by family and friends. China is no different. Some of our traditions might seem “normal” and some might seem a bit strange. I enjoy teaching my students this lesson and discussing our cultural differences.
In China, there are four essential traditions in the wedding process:
1. 拍婚纱照 (Pāi hūnshā zhào) Take Pre-Wedding Photography
Most westerners take pictures on their wedding day. In China we do this as well and we call wedding day pictures “婚礼照 (hūnlǐ zhào) wedding photography”. However, more important is “拍婚纱照 (pāi hūnshā zhào) take pre-wedding photography”. Chinese couples will spend more money on the pre-wedding photography than on wedding photography. Many couples will even fly to famous locations such as the Maldives, Paris or Rome to shoot “婚纱照 (hūnshāzhào) pre-wedding photography”. Nowadays, pre-wedding photography has become a huge industry in China.
2. 领结婚证 (Lǐng jiéhūnzhèng) Apply for A Certificate of Marriage
Every government requires some kind of certification to make a marriage officially recognized. The China, couples must apply at their local “Civil Affairs Bureau (民政局)”. In a whimsical tradition, the certificate will cost both the man and the woman 4.5 yuan each. You might be thinking: Why does the government even bother charging the...
...the the full lesson on GETTING MARRIED IN CHINA read here!
