#glory is back

The wedding scene clips can be found on youtube: 1, 2

Stepping Over Felt Mats 倒毡之礼 (Dào zhān zhī lǐ)

"Chuan Xi Jie Dai (传席接袋)" means newlyweds walking on mat. "Xi" means descendants and "dai" implies continuation of family line, implying there will be continuous descendants.

Looking into the Bronze Mirror and Paying Homage 望镜展拜 (Wàng jìng zhǎn bài)

It's an important part of Tang Dynasty weddings. Bronze mirrors were thought to have the function of exorcising evil spirits. The reflections of husband and wife in the same mirror symbolize their unity. This custom is also shown in Dunhuang murals, reflecting the good wishes of the family members for the newlyweds in a Tang wedding.

(There's some controversy about the hairdress used in the above scene btw. More on the crown inspo)

The Queshan Ritual 却扇礼 (Què shàn lǐ)

During the wedding the bride covers her face with a fan (queshan), out of humility and also to ward off evil spirits. The queshan used by He Weifang at her first wedding was hand-painted with scenes of her mother taking care of peonies, to express her longing for her mother.

Hand-washing Ceremony 奉匜沃盥 (Fèng yí wò guàn)

The Book of Rites 《礼记 - Lǐ jì》 records: "During this ceremony, a younger aid holds the washing bowl (to catch the dirty water), and an older aid pours the water. The couple wash their hands. Then they are given a towel", which means that the newlyweds should keep their hands clean and their minds calm, and respect each other.

Eat from the Same Pot, Drink from the Same Cup 同牢合卺 (Tóng láo héjǐn)

Sharing the meat of the same animal 同牢而食 (Tóng láo ér shí)

Book of Rites: Marriage 《礼记·昏义 - lǐ jì·hūn yì》 says, "When the wife arrives, the husband greets her and invites her in. They eat the meat of the same sacrificial animal (tong lao). They are in harmony and in love. This is to unite the couple and show respect and closeness to each other."

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Sharing the Unity Cup 合卺而酳 (Héjǐn ér yìn)

Hejin means splitting a gourd into two halves to serve wine, and Yin is the man and woman each hold a half to drink from it at the same time.

This symbolizes the couple will be one from now on, sharing respect and closeness and starting their life together. Read more about wedding wine here.

Headdress Removal and Hair-tying 解缨结发 (Jiě yīng jié fà)

The groom personally removes the hair adornments from bride and vice versa (Jiě yīng), then both of them take a lock of hair from each other, tie them together with a ted thread and put into a brocade purse (Jié fà), symbolizing the two are firmly united and will never be separated.

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There were intricate Tang Dynasty wedding scenes in the dramas Luoyang and Court Lady too.

Another Tang Dynasty Wedding reenactment (not a drama):

Here you can read a detailed research paper about Six Rites of Allied Harmony: Changes in Ancient Chinese Wedding Ceremonies under the Influence of Confucianism.

A detailed overview on the Tang, Song, Ming weddings is here: Oriental Romance - the Evolution of Traditional Chinese Wedding Dresses - Newhanfu

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