Wedding in China. From ancient times to modern times. Photo review

Each nation has its own wedding traditions. For a Russian person, some of them seem strange, others cause delight and admiration. In any case, a wedding is a special day, a bright and happy holiday. Chinese weddings are one of the most spectacular in the world. A wedding includes many rituals, including a proposal, checking the newlyweds for horoscope compatibility, matchmaking and engagement, choosing wedding dresses and the wedding ceremony itself.

Forms of marriage accepted in China

Men and women who are 22 years old and 20 years old, respectively, have the right to marry in China. The law prohibits formalizing relationships between representatives of the same sex.

Today in China there are the following forms of marriage:

1. Traditional union, that is, the conclusion of a classic marriage between a man and a woman.
2. Polygamy or polygamy. This type of marriage is quite rare in China. The state itself does not particularly approve of such a union, and the financial situation of the spouse should allow him to support several wives.
3. Sororate, in which the husband simultaneously or over time marries several of his wife’s relatives. In this case, marriages with subsequent women can be carried out both during the life of the first wife and after her death.

Rarely, but still found in China, polyandry (polyandry). Modern families have the right to live in a civil union.

According to the Law of the Republic of China (PRC) “On Marriage” (adopted in 1980, amended in 2001), marriage in China is based on freedom of marriage, monogamy, and gender equality.

The basic principles of family law in China are:

• protection of the rights and interests of women, children and the elderly;
• fertility planning;
• prohibition of domestic violence and domestic abuse;
• It is the duty of every family member to maintain equal and civilized relations.

As for the second point, it is likely that in 2021 the Chinese authorities will completely abolish birth control. This is due, on the one hand, to the aging of the population, and on the other, to a significant predominance of the male population over the female population.

The agony of choosing a couple

Marriages were not made in heaven, but were carefully chosen by parents. It was always a marriage of convenience. And if Love was born in marriage, well, that means you were lucky. If a young man even managed to fall in love with some girl before marriage, then it was considered the height of frivolity to connect his life with her, unless, of course, she did not suit him in terms of status or other characteristics.

In any case, the candidacy of the bride had to be chosen and approved by the head of the family, and after a consultation with the elders of the family. Alive and dead.

After the candidate was decided, they sent a matchmaker with a goose to the bride’s house - an offering to the parents of the possible future bride. If they are not against such a groom, in return they sent a sign with the exact date and place of birth of the girl, information about what kind of child she was, and much more.

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Based on the data obtained, along with similar data from the groom, they were handed over to a special person - a fortuneteller, who determined how successful this union could be.

The fortuneteller took into account everything, starting from the year of birth. For example, a marriage between a man born in the year of the horse and a woman born in the year of the ox was initially considered unlucky.

If within 3 days after the plates with the data of a possible future spouse were placed, something happened in the house, the marriage also did not take place.

Features of the wedding ceremony in China

The Chinese sacredly honor the traditions established over centuries, so wedding ceremonies in China are almost the same as they were many years ago. Watching a Chinese wedding take place is extremely interesting, because the process includes a number of fascinating and touching rituals.

Matchmaking ritual and engagement

First, the parents of the bride and groom must exchange letters notifying them of the upcoming matchmaking and the wedding of their children.

One of the next stages of matchmaking is card fortune telling. The groom sends a special note to the bride's family, which indicates the eight hieroglyphs of life: the man's last name, year, month, day and hour of birth. With the help of this data, fortune telling is carried out on the compatibility of young people.

If the result of the fortune telling is successful, the same information is sent to the groom's family from the bride. Based on the birth dates of both participants, the most prosperous day for getting married is calculated.

In some cases, a matchmaker is sent to the bride's house on behalf of the groom's family. It is she who finds out and gives the man the girl’s name and date of birth.

If according to fortune telling the bride and groom are compatible, the families exchange gifts. The girl's family receives jewelry, money, sweets, and wine. In return, clothes are sent to the groom's relatives as a gift.

The bride's relatives also send the groom a dowry - items to decorate the room in which the celebration will take place.

Chinese wedding traditions stipulate that, along with gifts, the newlyweds exchange silver coins qiu and yong, confirming the consent of the parties to the wedding.

When the relatives of the bride and groom meet, a marriage contract is concluded, which specifies mutual guarantees for the newlyweds and the amount of the ransom.

How do they prepare for a wedding in China?

The main role in preparing for a Chinese wedding is given to the bride. After matchmaking, the girl will have to complete the following steps:

1. Saying goodbye to loved ones is a touching ritual of mourning. It is assumed that after the wedding, the young wife will belong only to her husband, so she needs to mourn the loss of her family. To do this, the bride and her relatives go to a quiet, cozy place where they can give vent to their feelings and remember the happy moments of their life together.
2. Go through the bathing ritual. This is a beautiful tradition, after which, according to legend, the bride must be cleansed of evil spirits. The ritual is carried out on the eve of the wedding: the girl takes a bath with the addition of healing herbal infusions and grapefruit juice.
3. “Update” before the wedding. According to ancient tradition, the bride must remove all hair from her face, that is, completely pluck her eyebrows and eyelashes. Today this ritual is outdated, but is still carried out in families where ancient customs are strictly followed.
4. Choose a wedding outfit. According to tradition, the national wedding dress in China should be red, which symbolizes love and happiness. Previously, the girl dressed up in a red silk robe with the image of a dragon and phoenix, decorated with beads, pearls and embroidery. A massive crown trimmed with feathers, pompoms and beads is another element of the bride’s wedding dress. Today, Chinese girls wear more modern dresses for weddings, but still lean toward red.

In the old days, the Chinese bride and groom often saw each other only at the wedding. The parents were involved in selecting a spouse for the child. Often the wedding agreement took place before the children were born.

Today, a lot has changed; young people choose their own mate. But as before, marriages do not take place without the consent of the parents and the mutual exchange of gifts.

The actual wedding celebration

A wedding in China is an incredibly beautiful ritual. The wedding ceremony includes the following stages:

1. Ransom. On the wedding day, the groom brings four gold coins wrapped in red cloth and other gifts to the bride's house. This is a ransom for which the girlfriends let the girl out of the house. In the bride's house, the future husband is given two chopsticks, which are a symbol of the speedy birth of heirs.
2. Worship. The young bow three times, kneeling. Bows are given to the earth, heaven, parents and elders, as well as to each other. The ritual is an oath of the newlyweds in love and fidelity.
3. Unity of cups. A beautiful tradition in which the newlyweds take a few sips of wine from cups tied with a red ribbon, and then exchange glasses.
4. Tea ceremony. Chinese wedding customs require tea drinking. The bride treats the groom's relatives to classic Chinese tea. After which it is customary to give her money in a red envelope or pre-agreed valuable things for future married life.

A Chinese wedding is accompanied by noise and fun. The bride arrives at the groom's house amid fireworks and cheers. Grain and rice are scattered in front of the girl - a symbol of fertility. Guests perform unicorn or lion dances.

When the bride enters the groom's house, she must step over the saddle, which in China means peace.

After the ceremony

A very important stage of a Chinese style wedding is the banquet. The feast is held after the wedding.

At the celebration, a film about the newlyweds and a portfolio from a photo shoot, which was held 1.5-2 months before the wedding, are shown. Upon entering the banquet hall, guests are greeted with a full-length photo of the bride and groom.

The menu takes a long time to compose and is constantly adjusted. Food at a wedding should be tasty, expensive and sophisticated.

Fish is one of the must-have dishes. Instead of cake, various fruits and sweets were usually placed on the table as a snack.

During a feast, as a rule, it is not customary to organize dancing or noisy competitions. The young people change clothes several times to demonstrate traditional outfits.

If previously the bride looked like a living statue at her own wedding - she was silent and did not eat anything, now she can also take an active part in the program.

During meals, it is customary to talk and congratulate the newlyweds. After the newlyweds have eaten, they go around all the tables at which the guests are sitting, inviting them to drink wine or rice vodka. The banquet ends with the presentation of money and gifts to the newlyweds.

A Chinese wedding does not last long and, if desired, can be continued as an after party for the newlyweds and their friends.

Wedding dresses in different countries of the world

The outfits of the bride and groom in many countries look completely different from what we are used to. In most modern countries, the bride wears a white dress to her wedding, and the groom wears a classic suit. Queen Victoria is rightfully considered the founder of the bride's wedding dress. A triumphant breakthrough in the world of white wedding dress fashion occurred in 1840 thanks to the significant wedding of the 19th century - the English Queen Victoria and Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Victoria's luxurious dress was decorated with snow-white orange flowers, followed by a 5.5-meter long train. However, there are still many places on Earth where the bride and groom wear traditional, beautiful and unusual wedding dresses. Some cultures prefer colorful clothing and jewelry. According to national traditions, some brides paint their hands and faces before the ceremony, while others hide their faces behind thick veils.

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Is it possible for a Chinese citizen to marry a foreigner?

Love knows no boundaries, so marriages between representatives of different countries and nationalities are not uncommon. However, in modern states, specific requirements have been formed for the institution of marriage, and therefore, in order to legitimize a union with a foreigner, the following rules will have to be observed:

• reach marriageable age (for example, you can marry a Chinese citizen no earlier than 20 years old);
• prove voluntary marriage, absence of selfish reasons and violence;
• undergo a medical examination.

It is necessary to confirm that the groom (bride) is not married to another person, and also does not have mental disabilities.

If all the requirements are met, you can begin to prepare a package of documents for marriage with a foreigner.

What documents to prepare

If the marriage takes place on the territory of the Russian Federation, then before submitting an application to the registry office, future newlyweds must prepare the following documents:

• the foreign fiancé prepares a foreign passport and a translation of the document into Russian certified by the consulate (or notary);
• both parties issue certificates stating that they are not married to other people;
• if necessary, you must obtain permission to enter into an alliance at the consulate;
• certificate of divorce or death of the former spouse of the bride and groom, if any;
• documents confirming the legality of residence of a foreigner on the territory of the Russian Federation;
• in some cases you will have to issue a certificate of no criminal record;
• if a foreign fiancé has a child and came to Russia with him, he must present documents for the child and the mother’s permission for his departure to the registry office;
• You will need a receipt for payment of the state duty.

Foreign certificates and documents are translated into Russian. If the marriage is planned to be concluded on the territory of another state, the list of documents will be approximately the same, only they will have to be translated into a foreign language and contacted by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The main document for the registry office is an application for marriage registration. A sample can be found on the Internet or taken from the registry office.

How marriage is legalized in the CIS

Legalization of a marriage certificate is necessary for stamping a passport, changing a surname, registering joint children, and obtaining citizenship by one of the spouses.

If the marriage was concluded on the territory of the CIS, documents on registration of the union are recognized without any problems, that is, according to a simplified scheme. The technique involves affixing a special stamp - an apostille - on the marriage certificate.

Legalizing marriage on a general basis is more difficult. To do this, you will need to provide the following documents to the Russian consulate located in the country of registration of relations:

• an application that can be taken at the consulate or printed;
• foreign and internal passport;
• Marriage certificate;
• receipt for payment of state duty.

The specialist takes the documents for review and sets a date for the next visit. The procedure may take a long time. In addition, under certain circumstances, marriage legalization may be refused.

Meeting the bride and groom

If the fortuneteller gave the go-ahead, and no misfortunes occurred within the allotted time, then a feast is organized at which the bride and groom meet. And even at this moment, not everything is decided for the bride. If suddenly the groom doesn’t like her, then he simply pays off with silk and there will be no wedding. If he liked the bride, then he stuck a gold hairpin into the hairstyle of his future wife. In this case, another exchange of gifts takes place, each of which has its own special meaning, and a wedding date is chosen. Usually this is an even number and the second half of the hour. Thus, in traditional China, weddings were held mainly at the end of the year. All this, according to the beliefs of the Chinese people, brings happiness.

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Divorce process in China

Elderly Chinese residents are extremely dissatisfied with the fact that the divorce procedure in the country has been greatly simplified and takes 10–15 minutes, whereas recently a divorce took at least a month and was complicated. Such changes have led to an increase in the divorce rate. There are now more divorces in China than marriages.

The main reasons for divorce in China:

• incompatibility of views and characters;
• sexual dissatisfaction of partners;
• quarrels in the process of running a common household, financial difficulties;
• adultery.

Modern Chinese are not trying to increase the marriage rate, overcome difficulties and stay together. It seems much simpler to them to file an application and quickly get a divorce.

Summarize

A Russian-Chinese wedding is truly a stunning spectacle. The unity of traditions and customs of the two peoples makes the holiday unusual and spectacular; a wedding in China promises unforgettable emotions for Russians.

According to statistics, a marriage between a Chinese man and a Russian woman lasts longer than a marriage with a Chinese woman. The difference in nations and customs brings partners together and makes them interesting to each other. The main difficulty in such a relationship is said to be learning a foreign language.

Bureaucratic difficulties are only a temporary stage. You can complete the documents without any obstacles if you follow the law and do everything on time.