The chinese marriage tea ceremony

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During a Chinese wedding, the marriage tea ceremony is performed when all of the members of the family are present. The use of tea, China's national drink, symbolizes respect for those being served. It is a significant part of the Chinese wedding because the bride is formally introduced to the groom's family through the tea ceremony. Sweet tea is preferably served because it symbolizes sweetness in the new union of the bride and groom, as well as a wish for sweet relations between the bride and her new family.

1. Significance

   • Specific traditional Chinese sweet teas are usually used for the tea ceremony because of the good connotations of their names. First choice is the lotus seeds and red dates tea, which signifies that the newlyweds will bear children quickly and continuously, meaning lots of grandchildren for their parents. Another favorite is the longans and red dates tea. The longan represents a dragon and a wish for having male children.

   When to Serve

   • The tea ceremony for the groom's family is traditionally held in the morning, while for the bride's family, it is usually done in the afternoon when the bride and groom have completed the bride's home visit. The bride may also choose to serve tea to both of her parents at home, very early in the morning of her wedding day, right before the groom arrives, as an act of respect and gratitude for all their love and care.

   Serve

   • The general rule being practiced in traditional Chinese tea ceremonies is to position the bride on the left side and the groom on the right side as they serve tea. They will kneel in front of the relatives being served, who all sit in chairs. For example, as the couple serves tea to the groom's parents, the bride kneels in front of her father-in-law, while the groom kneels in front of his mother. They hold the teacups with both hands as a sign of respect.

   Order of Serving

   • The newlyweds customarily serve tea in order of seniority. They start with the groom's parents, then proceed to serve his grandparents, grand uncles and aunts, oldest uncles and aunts, all the way to his older brothers and sisters and elder cousins. They follow the same order during the tea ceremony at the home of bride's family.

   Gift Presentation

   • After serving the groom's relatives, they in return bestow the newlyweds with either jewelry or "lai see," lucky red envelopes stuffed with money. They usually place the lucky gifts on the platter which holds the teacups. In some cases, the relatives prefer that the couple wear the jewelry immediately and even put it on them.

   Lucky Helpers

   • Fortune tellers or the bride's mother choose helpers to assist the couple in the wedding tea ceremony. These helpers are usually women who are blessed with wealth and/or a happy marriage. A sister or relative of the groom can also help in pouring the tea and washing the cups. After their service, the helpers also receive lucky red envelopes containing money, as a thank-you gift from the newlyweds or from those being served.

   Tea Set as Keepsake

   • The newlyweds keep the Chinese tea set used for the tea ceremony as a wedding present, which is part of the bride's dowry. It serves as precious keepsake, which can be handed down to their future daughter when it is her turn to get married.

Source: www.ehow.com

Tags: being served, bride family, marriage ceremony, bride groom, chinese marriage