Traditions

Tea Ceremony

Wedding ceremonies in Asia are largely silent -- the motions and rituals speak more loudly than words. One popular ritual at Chinese-American weddings is the tea ceremony, where bride and groom offer cups of sweet tea to their respective families. Traditionally, the bride offered tea to the groom's family, but the ritual has been modified a bit. Tea is offered, a sip is taken, and a red packet called hong bao is returned with money or jewelry for the bride and groom. This is considered a formal introduction of the families.

 

Wedding Banquet

No Chinese wedding is complete without a 10- to 12-course banquet. The more lavish the display, and the more food and leftovers, the "richer" the hosts. Some foods are symbolic: A whole fish is typically served because the word for fish, yu, sounds like the word for abundance. A sweet dessert of lotus seeds is a wish for many children. Two other popular wedding delicacies are shark's fin soup, and bird's nest soup (made from real bird's nests).

Sources: CelebrationLink