10 Chinese Wedding Traditions中式婚禮十大傳統(tǒng)習俗

Lively and full of color， Chinese weddings are lavish affairs that are as much about the happy couple as they are about their respective families. A celebration marked by rituals and traditions， many symbolic aspects focus on blessings of prosperity， abundance， and happiness for the couple from both friends and family members.

中式婚禮是一場生動有趣、豐富多彩的盛事。不僅幸福的新婚夫妻參與其中，雙方家庭也共同參與這場慶祝。中式婚禮頗為注重禮儀和傳統(tǒng)，充滿了來自雙方親友寓意繁榮興旺、殷實富裕和幸福美滿的祝愿。

To learn more about Chinese weddings， we consulted experts Celia Yu and Nicole Froelich.

為了對中式婚禮有更多了解，我們請教了專家西莉亞·于（音譯）和妮科爾·弗勒利希。

The betrothal

訂婚

Known as the Guo Da Li， before the wedding ceremony the groom will present betrothal1 gifts （gold jewelry， dragon and phoenix wax candles， tea leaves and sesame seeds， wine or brandy， etc.） symbolizing prosperity and good fortune as a formal proposal to the bride’s parents. They， in turn， will return half of the gifts as an acceptance of the proposal and show that they wish to have a good relationship with the groom’s family.

訂婚又稱過大禮，即：婚禮之前，新郎將象征著繁榮興旺和好運的訂婚禮物（金首飾、龍鳳蠟燭、茶葉、芝麻、葡萄酒或白蘭地等）送給新娘父母，代表正式提親。新娘一家會返回一半禮物，也就意味著接受了提親，并希望與新郎一家友好相處。

Choosing the wedding date

選定婚期

The date of the wedding ceremony isn’t chosen by chance. The couple’s Chinese zodiac sign， birthday details （the bride’s birthday is preferred to the groom’s） will play a big role in choosing a date that is the perfect fit.

舉行婚禮的日期并非隨機選擇。主要根據(jù)男女雙方的生肖、生辰八字（新娘的生日比新郎的生日更重要）擇定良辰吉日。

The invitation

喜帖

The Chinese wedding invitation is typically red with gold lettering and bears the Double Happiness symbol. Inside， it’ll include dates for the wedding banquet， order of birth， and names of the bride， groom， and respective parents. Details for the dinner venue， the timing for the cocktail reception and dinner will be included as well.

中式婚禮的邀請函通常為紅底金字，用雙喜字裝飾。邀請函內(nèi)含婚宴的日期、家中排行，以及新郎新娘和各自父母的名字?；檠绲攸c、酒會和用餐時間等細節(jié)也包括在內(nèi)。

Preparing the marriage bed

安置婚床

The An Chuang usually takes place on an auspicious day and time， two to three days before the wedding. “This tradition is carried out by a female relative of good fortune—one with parents， husband， children， and grandchildren—where the bed will be dressed in new red color beddings and pillows with a mix of dried fruits and nuts such as longans， persimmons， and red dates，” explains Yu. The combination symbolizes a sweet and long-lasting marriage blessed with fertility and well wishes. Yu also explains that no one can sit or sleep in the bed until the couple returns together at the end of the night of the wedding.

“安床”通常會選在婚禮前二至三天的一個黃道吉日?！斑@一傳統(tǒng)由一名好命的女性親戚來完成，好命的意思是父母雙全、丈夫健在、子孫滿堂。給婚床鋪上新的紅色被褥和枕頭，擺滿干果和堅果，例如桂圓、柿子和紅棗?！庇诮忉尩?。這些物品放在一起，象征婚姻甜蜜久長——兒孫滿堂、幸福美滿。于還解釋說，新郎新娘在婚禮當晚一起回來之前，任何人都不能坐在婚床上或者躺在上面睡覺。

Hair combing ceremony

梳頭禮

A ritual performed the night before the wedding to symbolize the couple entering a new stage of adulthood in their respective homes. The bride and groom will shower with pomelo leaves to cleanse off bad spirits and change into new red clothes and slippers. The bride will sit in front of a mirror （or a window）， while the groom sits facing the inside of the house. The respective parents will prepare a pair of red taper candles and scissors， one stick of incense， a wooden ruler， a hair comb， and red yarn with cypress leaves.

梳頭禮是婚禮前一晚由新郎新娘在各自家中完成的儀式，標志著二人從此進入人生新階段。新娘和新郎會用柚子葉煮水沐浴，驅(qū)邪除晦，換上紅色新衣和新拖鞋。新娘會端坐在一面鏡子（或窗戶）前，新郎則面朝室內(nèi)。雙方父母各準備一對紅燭和剪刀、一炷香、一把木尺、一柄梳子和紅繩纏綁的扁柏葉。

A woman of good fortune will light one stick of incense and a pair of red taper candles and start the hair combing ceremony. While she is combing the hair， she will recite blessings to the bride or groom：

一位好命婆將點燃一炷香和一對紅燭，開始行梳頭禮。一邊梳頭發(fā)，一邊為新人誦讀祝福：

May the first comb bring you a long-lasting union

一梳長長久久

May the second comb bring you a harmonious union

二梳和和美美

May the third comb bring you an abundance of descendants

三梳兒孫滿堂

May the fourth comb bring you prosperity and longevity

四梳富貴長壽

After the bride or groom’s hair is combed four times， the woman of good fortune will clip the red yarn with cypress leaves on their hair and the ceremony is officially completed.

為新人梳頭四次之后，好命婆將纏有紅線的扁柏葉插在他們頭上，梳頭禮正式完成。

Lucky colors and auspicious symbols

幸運色和吉祥標志

Red and gold play a critical role in all Chinese wedding decorations. The former is linked to love， success， happiness， prosperity， luck， fertility， honor， and loyalty， while the latter is a symbol of wealth.

紅色和金色在中式婚禮裝飾中非常重要。紅色象征著愛情、成功、幸福、富貴、好運、兒孫滿堂、榮譽加冕、忠貞不渝，金色象征著財富。

The Double Happiness symbol， composed of two identical Chinese characters meaning joy， appears in all Chinese weddings. “It can show up as traditional décor， made out of fresh red roses as a wall hanging for the tea ceremony， or as neon signage for an after-party，” shares Froelich. Other auspicious symbols include dragons， phoenixes， and mandarin ducks2 as they denote happiness and loyalty.

見于所有中式婚禮的雙喜字標志由兩個相同的漢字“喜”構(gòu)成，意思是喜慶?！半p喜字是一種傳統(tǒng)裝飾。由新鮮的紅玫瑰擺成的雙喜字可以用來裝飾墻壁，營造敬茶禮的喜慶氛圍，也可以作為婚禮之后余興派對的霓虹燈牌。”弗勒利希說。其他的吉祥標志還有龍、鳳、鴛鴦，這些都象征著幸福與忠誠。

Picking up the bride

接親

The journey to pick up the bride is a lively affair. It can involve anything from the use of firecrackers， playing of drums and gongs， or even a lion dance troupe. A child usually walks in front of the procession together with the groom to symbolize fertility.

接親的行程非常熱鬧。可以放鞭炮、敲鑼打鼓，甚至請舞獅團表演。通常是一名孩童和新郎一起走在接親隊伍前面，寓意兒孫滿堂。

Putting the groom to the test

讓新郎接受考驗

Chuangmen， also known as door games， is a key highlight of the day’s festivities. “These days the games have been modernized with fun tests，” explains Froelich. “Typically they’re prepared by the bridesmaids to test the groom’s determination to marry the bride and to win approval from the bride’s family.” The tasks vary but typical games involve testing the groom’s knowledge of the bride， eating something spicy， sour， bitter， and sweet to prove that he can go through every stage of marriage， and at least one challenge that involves pain.

“闖門”也叫堵門游戲，是婚禮中一個非常重要的高光環(huán)節(jié)?！艾F(xiàn)在這項游戲已經(jīng)很有現(xiàn)代氣息，增添了很多趣味測試?！备ダ绽＝忉尩溃耙话銇碚f，游戲由伴娘們準備，用來考驗新郎迎娶新娘的決心，以獲得新娘家人的認可?！庇螒蛉蝿?wù)各有不同，但一般考驗的是新郎對新娘的了解，通過吃酸甜苦辣的食物來證明他可以經(jīng)受住婚姻各個階段的考驗，其中會有至少一項讓新郎受到一點“皮肉之苦”。

The groom will also have to hand over a red packet with money for the bridesmaids to “surrender” their friend. Only upon winning all challenges will he be allowed to enter the bride’s room where the final challenge is to locate the missing bridal shoe to put it on the bride’s foot， and then carry her out to the living room for the Chinese tea ceremony.

新郎也得給伴娘們紅包，籠絡(luò)她們來“交出”新娘。只有通過上述所有挑戰(zhàn)，新郎才能進入到新娘的房間，進行最后一項任務(wù)，即在房間內(nèi)找到新娘的一只婚鞋并為她穿上，最后將新娘抱至起居室行敬茶禮。

Offering tea and paying respects

敬茶

“The Chinese tea ceremony is the time the bride and groom express their respect， gratitude， and appreciation for their parents’ love， support， and effort in raising them，” shares Yu. A red tea set with a Double Happiness symbol is used for the tea ceremony where black tea is sweetened with dried longans， lotus seeds， and red dates.

“中式敬茶儀式是一種新人向父母表達尊敬、感激之情的方式，寓意感謝父母的愛與支持，以及養(yǎng)育之恩?！庇谡f。敬茶時，一般用雙喜字裝飾的紅色茶具和加了桂圓干、蓮子和紅棗的紅茶。

A bridesmaid or a lady of good fortune will give the teacups to the couple who will kneel （or bow） and serve tea to the parents （the groom’s family will be served first） uttering the phrase “please drink tea.” After each takes a sip of their tea， the couple will be offered a red envelope with money or gold jewelry to bless the union， and as an official welcome to the family.

會有一位伴娘或一名好命婆將茶杯遞給新人，新人雙膝跪地（或鞠躬），敬茶給父母（先敬新郎父母），同時說 “請用茶”。父母喝過茶后會送給新人紅包或金飾，祝福百年好合，也表示對新家庭成員的正式歡迎。

The wedding banquet

婚禮宴請

The wedding banquet is a lavish eight-course affair hosted by the couple’s parents. The evening’s menu consists of symbolic， auspicious foods， a fish course for abundance， a suckling pig to symbolize the bride’s purity， a poultry dish （usually chicken or duck） for peace， unity， and a sweet lotus seed dessert for fertility. The bride will typically change into a red qipao （long Chinese wedding dress） halfway through the banquet， and a slideshow of childhood photos from both sides is also a must-do—as is the raucous “yam seng” （cheers） toast made towards the end of the reception to congratulate the groom on winning the hand of his bride.

婚禮宴會由新人的父母操持，是一場八道菜的隆重宴席。晚餐的菜單包括寓意美好吉祥的食物：魚寓意年年有余，乳豬寓意新娘的純潔，禽類（通常是雞或鴨）寓意祥和、和睦，蓮子甜品寓意兒孫滿堂。新娘通常會在宴會中途換上紅色旗袍（中式長婚服）。新郎新娘童年照片的幻燈片放映是必不可少的。喧鬧的“飲勝”（干杯）會一直持續(xù)到宴會結(jié)束，慶祝新郎成功迎娶到他的新娘。

（譯者為“《英語世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎?wù)撸?/p>

1 betrothal訂婚。

2 mandarin duck鴛鴦。