What color IS love?  Does love even HAVE a color?  In writing today’s post, I’m reminded of a discussion I had about Chinese wedding culture with an associate I work with. 

In China, the color of love is Red.  The color red plays a vital role in the wedding festivities of the Chinese people.  Red is considered by them as a bold and lucky color.  The color signifies love, prosperity and happiness; therefore, everything is in red – wedding invitations, gift envelopes and the bride’s wedding dress (if the couple is planning a very traditional wedding.

The most popular Chinese sign that goes with wedding  invitations is the symbol of Double Happiness, shown here.  This symbol is a declaration that the Bride-to-be and the Groom-to-be will be united in marriage. 

In most areas of China it is the Groom’s parents who plan the wedding.   When the engagement is announced,  it is customary (in the Shanxi province) for the grooms parents to give the brides parents a gift.  Sometimes the gift is a household item – sometimes it is money.

A Maid of Honor and Best Man are not always chosen for the ceremony but when they are, it is most likely a family member.   It is customary for the couple to be married on the half-hour of their wedding day, rather than at the top of the hour.   In this way, the couple begin their new life together on an “up-swing”, while the hands of the clock are moving upward. 

The wedding cake is usually large, with many layers.  These layers symbolize a ladder that the couple will ”climb to success” so the cake is cut from the bottom, working the way up.

 Marriage customs differ depending on the region, however most Chinese couples embrace tradition to some degree. For more information on cultural traditions of Chinese weddings, visit this link:  http://www.worldweddingtraditions.com/locations/asian_traditions/chinese_traditions.html

Next – Exploring the Indian Wedding Traditions