Cloudy in Beijing Blogging about my time in China

Wedding

My aunt invited me to a wedding in Beijing this past weekend. I didn't know the young couple, or really anyone there. But it was a chance to see a Chinese wedding, so I decided to attend.

As you can tell, the room the wedding was held in was quite red. In China, the color symbolizes joy and is central to any Chinese wedding. (As for the color white, it traditionally symbolizes death in China).

Though my experience is very limited, I'd have to say that Chinese weddings are a lot more like banquets. This one was held in the restaurant of a hotel. For much of the time we sat at our tables while the ceremonies commenced. I watched as I ate some snacks.

To officiate the wedding, an announcer was present, equipped with his own microphone . He acted as if he were both priest and comedian, asking the couple to exchange vows, while also commenting about how much sweat was covering the groom's face.

Along with the food available at our tables, free cigarettes were also offered. This despite a sign in the restaurant saying smoking was banned.

I also thought that the dress code was going to be me more formal. But I must have been the only guest wearing a tie. All the while cigarette smoke fumed over a couple of the tables.

In some ways, the ceremony felt very similar to how weddings are held back in America. The bride was dressed in a white gown, and the groom was in a black suit. Even "Hey Jude" played at one point during the ceremony.

I asked my aunt about what she thought of the wedding. She commented that when she got married, the guests bought her gifts, which she could use on a daily basis; she remembers one person buying her a wok. But now at a lot of weddings, people will give the newly wed couple money in the form of cash tucked in a red envelope. "People's expenditures are much higher now," she added.

It was a good event. I got a bunch of free food. And everyone was happy. Yay!