What are the Chinese traditions to welcome your sons new wife into the family?
…one possibility, to have a form of Chinese wedding banquet. A local Chinese restaurant could probably help you with menu planning. The following is a description of a full wedding banquet – you don’t have to be this elaborate, but perhaps some aspects would be doable: “Chinese wedding banquets are known for their extravagance and grandness. This feast is the most important part of the Chinese wedding day, and is viewed as the true wedding. Chinese food always bears a special symbolism: Mostly wishes of happiness, longevity, or fertility for the couple. The number of courses is also significant. At a Chinese wedding banquet, eight dishes are usually served, not including the dessert. In Chinese, the word “eight”; sounds like “good luck”. Certain types of food are commonly served at a Chinese wedding banquet and include fish, roast-suckling pig, chicken cooked with red oil, lobster and a dessert bun with lotus seeds stuffed inside. The pronunciation of “fish” in Chinese is the same as
Engagement Essentials (and we’re not talking about diamonds) The presentation of betrothal gifts to the bride’s family on an auspicious date is still very much widely practiced nowadays. Depending on which dialect group either party belongs to, the gifts vary. Usually, the gifts include a dowry of a token sum of money, different combinations of jewellery (for example, teochews require the 4 items of bracelet, earrings, necklace and ring) bridal cakes, mandarin oranges and liquor. The more traditional families will include two pairs of candles, one in the likeness of a dragon and the other a phoenix. Betrothal gifts are not entirely kept by the bride’s family however. Some will be returned to the groom’s family, such as the pair of phoenix candles, and a few boxes of bridal cakes. The rest of the cakes are distributed along to the bride’s relatives and friends, as part of the invitation. Keeping the dowry As soon as the engagement is over, the bride can bring her dowry over to her new h
