Here is the thing, I am lousy when it comes to Chinese tradition. Maybe I shall read more Chinese literature, maybe I shall date a … or maybe I shall just talk to my parents more.
We can talk about the six Chinese wedding etiquette here. But if you are more of a visual person, here is the link to my personal family photo album. Yes, in this tidy home of my parents in Hong Kong we have a dog named Tak Tak. He is smart, he is adorable, and I will share a photo album of just my dog later. How late? I don’t know. I still have my photos taken in Fraser Hill unprocessed, awaiting to be published.
One day I woke up at the apartment on the 5th floor – my parents stay on the 7th floor and it is a long story that you probably can skip – and Benny (my then-brother-in-law-to-be-now-brother-in-law) was loading the 5th floor apartment with gifts. I looked at the gifts in my wildest curiosity wondering what on the earth he was doing. Well, according to one of the Chinese wedding etiquette, the groom’s family delivers the wedding gifts (過大禮 / 过大礼) to the bride’s family days (or weeks?!) before the actual wedding date. In the old days, it was meant to be an elaborate event. When the bride’s family receives the wedding gift mostly with items in pairs – plus a letter or a book itemizing the gifts (?! … lots of documentations in the old days) – another set of gifts will be returned as part of the tradition. If you wonder why coconuts, chickens, and even a pair of shoes can be considered as wedding gifts alongside with the gold and jewelery, phonetically, these items mean only good things to the wedding couple.
In the modern day, this tradition is simplified. As seen in the photos I have shared, I recall Benny did bring wine, fruit, cakes, abalones, and … lots of cash! In Singapore dollar! And my parents also returned a portion of the cash received to symbolize the tradition. When I saw that, I was like … don’t, don’t … let me have it!
At times I wonder, what dilutes the local tradition? I tend to look at the era of colonization with puzzlement. One day I may write a blog entry about it. Perhaps after this ambitious photo trip my friend Ken and I have been talking about for ages – local culture and tradition at a crossroad.
Photo Album: Family Photos in Hong Kong