Throughout the centuries there by ethnic migration in Asia, many regional and cultural differences arise. So there are a lot of different traditions.
The family
The parents have an important role by the marriage and the preparations of it. Marriage is meant to continue the family line and the formal link between the two families to ratify, so actually a very commercial event.
The mediator
The parents of the groom propose a mediator determine who should contact the parents of the bride. He must ensure that parents become interested in a marriage between the boy and their daughter.
There are then many gifts offered. If the parents of the bride are interested they give the mediator a document, in which the birth and time state of their daughter.
The document is by the parents of the groom on a family altar placed for about three days and nothing may happen negatives in those days (for example, a quarrel, or other problems). The birth dates of the future bridal couple is sent to a soothsayer and when he is positive about the couple, it’s up to the parents of the bride waiting for three days or anything negative in their path.
Then the two families meet each other and when this also positively unpacks follows the engagement.
The engagement
The parents exchange some gifts, for example the bride symbols (dragon and phoenix), these are the parents of the bride distributed among the family and thus they actually announce the forthcoming marriage.
Negotiations about the dowry and they have accepted the gifts, so now is definitely the bride to the family of the groom “sold”, while the bride and groom one another often have not even met. The engagement is binding and usually takes at least a year, so the importance of marriage following the engagement is not as great as in Western Europe.
The soothsayer, Feng Shui, set the wedding date fixed on the basis of the birth dates of the couple and the Chinese Almanac.
The preparation for marriage
A few days before the wedding, the bride with her friends to a separate room and there are mourned and they mourn the departure of the bride from her family. Moreover, they complain about the mediator and the family of the groom.
The marriage prayer
A day before the wedding the groom brings the new bed for the couple in their future home. This is a ritual act, because he asks a lucky person (someone who is happily married, many children and happy) to help him. This is the happiness to enforce. The bed is strewn with children dates, peanuts, oranges and some fruit, this is for good luck and it would have to take care of many descendants.
The Wedding
After an extensive bathing ritual, the bride dressed and veiled in the red color (which stands for luck). Then her hair was first raised in a mature manner. The groom gets in his parents home a special headgear imposed by his father. The bride by her future husband picked up at her home. But before they passed, must negotiate to do the groom with the bridesmaids for their all kinds of fun things to do.
First they drank tea with the parents and family of the bride and then leave the couple to their future home there to drink tea with the family of the groom. Then in the church or other place where the marriage can be consummated the marriage registered. Thereafter, to thank their both families, the wedding times offered.