Hong Kong Wedding

I have heard that Hong Kong weddings are a fusion of East and West, but I feel like it's evolved into less of a fusion and more of a Hong Kong thing.  

I've been to a few weddings when I lived in China.  One was a purely village affair, where we all sat around round tables laughing about work, drinking bai jiu, and eating piles of dishes.  I can't remember much of the traditions, though, because I was just so happy that two of my friends, back then, had gotten married finally!

The merry feelings are definitely remembered, but the details are so foggy, which is why I wanted to jot down a few of my observations of a Hong Kong wedding that I had the honor of attending.

1.  The white wedding gown is a must at the ceremony, but the reception, for the bride, consists of a few outfit changes - from a traditional Chinese outfit in the morning to a gorgeous ball gown in the evening.

2.  Red satin pajamas are worn in the morning, as per tradition.  Some people say it is for good luck and it is also the wedding color for the bride.  My bride said that it was also a barrier between herself and the rental Chinese outfit that she wore in the morning.

3.  Beautifully embellished gowns are worn by the bride throughout the reception, each with its own unique hair and makeup.  And the mother-of-the-bride, I'm not sure if it is common with other wedding receptions, also did a few outfit changes throughout the evening.

4.  Besides the threads, one of the more Chinese traditions of setting off a towering string of firecrackers issued in the wedding festivities of the day.  Since we were in the village where the groom lived, a lot of the local villagers came out of their homes to see what all the racket was about!  This totally woke me up, for real, because we'd all been up since before the crack of dawn.

5.  Both the bride and the groom paid respects to the groom's ancestors by burning paper money, lighting incense, and bowing to an altar.  This tradition is called baisaan.

6.  At the reception, mah zhong tables are set up.  This is the place to be when you want to meet with people, play a few rounds of mah zhong, and kick back.  I think this was mostly for the older generation of guests because gambling is quite the pastime, I hear.

7.  The tea ceremony is held at the groom's home, where the bride pours tea for her in-laws.  It's a symbol of respect.  This was also held at the reception venue.

8.  Most weddings I have been to have a roundtable type of setting, where there is either a 12 course meal served or a buffet available.  I think the highlight of everyone's night was probably the buffet…the oysters and lobster tails especially.

This night was also quite the blur for me because so much happened.  The main event of this event was actually the program that was running on the stage.  There were speeches by the bride and groom's fathers, videos/slideshows of the couple were running at one point, a dance performance by the groom garnered cheers from the guests, a set of songs arranged by the bride's father made our eyes swell, photos with the couple were taken by the professional videography crew, etc.  There was so much that went on as well as the eating, drinking, and meeting of people.  It was a crazy time, in a good way!

I can't wait for another friend of mine to get married…because I know I will be in for a good time.

Wedding Games

I thought it might be nice to share some Hong Kong traditions on this blog, a wedding tradition specifically.

One Hong Kong wedding tradition is for the bride's sisters (bridesmaids) to organize a series of challenges for the groom.  The groom and his brothers (groomsmen) have to complete all challenges before the groom can win the honor of the bride's hand in marriage.  As the challenges roll out, the bride waits in a separate room for her husband-to-be to prove himself.

These challenges are a riot!  They could be used for any social event, but I thought I would share them as a little template for anyone who was planning some Hong Kong Wedding Games.

1.  The Ice Bucket Challenge

Materials:

-Bucket of Ice

-Jelly Cups

Preparation:

-Fill the ice bucket with cold water

-Pour in some shampoo or bubble bath to make the water slippery and foamy

-Drop a few jelly cups into the mixture

-Set the bucket on the floor with a chair for the groom (or his brothers) to sit on

-Remove the groom's shoe and have him stick his foot into the ice water

Object of the Challenge:

-The groom or one of his brothers have a minute to get all of the jelly cups out of the bucket using just his bare foot

-Once the jelly cups are out, the groomsmen have to eat the jelly snacks in a minute

2.  The Makeup Challenge

Materials:

-Red lipstick (or anything that stands out)

-Blue eyeshadow (or anything that stands out)

-Fuchsia blush (or anything that stands out)

Preparation:

-Have the makeup accessible 

-Pair the groom and groomsmen up

Object of the Challenge:

-The groom and his groomsmen must apply eye shadow, lipstick, and blush to each other in a minute

3.  The Blow Suck Challenge

Materials:

-Plastic cards (or Poker Cards)

Preparation:

-Have the cards in a pile

-The groomsmen should stand in a line

Object of the Challenge:

-The groom and his brothers have a minute to transfer all the cards from one end of their line to the other

-They can only use their mouths, sucking the cards to pick them up (one-by-one) and blowing the cards to send them off to the next brother

**I remember doing this in high school!**

4.  The Posing Challenge

Materials:

-Pictures of yoga poses

-Pictures of funny faces

Preparation:

-Print out individual poses/facial expresses onto pieces of paper

-Have the groom and his brothers pick out which pose they would like to attempt

Object of the Challenge:

-The groom and his brothers have a minute to configure their bodies into the various yoga poses

-If they select faces, they all have a minute to contort their faces to match the pictures

5.  The Declaration Challenge

Materials:

-Pen

-A written "document" that lists things that the bride wants her groom to promise to her

**For example-->My friend is a lover of coffee.  She requested that her husband-to-be prepare coffee for her every morning.**

Preparation:

-Print out the document

-Have the groom read it out as his brothers and the bride's sisters witness this declaration

Object of the Challenge:

-After the groom reads the declaration, he should sign it and present it to his wife-to-be

The challenges aren't hardcore challenges to win over the bride, but they are fun.  They also made for great clips in the reception's "Wedding Day" video!

I feel so lucky to have been able to take part in this tradition!  I learned a lot…and, hopefully, taught someone out there something new too!