Chinese Mandarin - Traditional wedding ceremony returns

CITYLIFE / Hip & New








Traditional wedding ceremony returns
(CRI)
Updated: 2006-07-06 13:21


Young people might think that traditional wedding ceremony may only exist
in classic operas. They are wrong. Today, traditional wedding ceremony
has come back to Shanghai as something of a novelty.

In recent years, western-style marriage celebration has dominated the
nuptial market in Shanghai.

It seems that bridal gowns, rose pedals, Champagne, and Western music can
be seen and heard everywhere.

"Traditional marriage ceremony has faded out of people's minds for quite
some time. However, it has come back recently as a fashion," said a
person working with a marriage celebration company. In Fengjing,
time-honored town near Shanghai, old-fashioned marriage ceremony has left
a vivid picture in the memory of the elderly. They talk about those
traditional wishes usually said to the new couple, often arousing young
people's curiosity.

This year, old-fashioned marriage ceremony has become part of the
celebrating activities for the Shanghai International Tourism Festival.
Twenty new couples will be chosen across the city to observe such
traditional wedding ceremony. The organizer said the wedding ceremony
would take place on a "lucky day" in September. By then, the brides and
grooms will dress in the traditional red costume, take a boat ride and
throw candies and small scented bags to the masses. The Old Matchmaker
will throw the embroidered ball to the couples. Then the new couple will
go through an array of traditional marriage procedures, paying respects
to Heaven and Earth, hanging the Love Lock, exchanging cups of wine and
attending the wedding banquet.

An expert said that traditional marriage has rich cultural meanings. Even
though in modern society, Western-style marriage seems to have gained
popularity, many people still include traditional marriage activities
into their ceremonies. Some couples will eat the jujube and lotus seed
sweet soup, making wishes for having a baby in the near future. These
wishes, which are expressed through similar pronunciations between
Chinese words, are frequently performed by people. "That might be the
very reason for the comeback of the old fashion," said the expert.

For young people, however, they might take it merely for a change. At
present, many companies can arrange such traditional marriage ceremony
for new couples. If the ceremony can let the young couple taste the
genuineness of tradition, then why not try it?
















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