Wedding dresses and traditions in China

The Internet and globalization are erasing the traditions of even countries like China. Modern weddings in China are celebrated in a Western style, with little survived from ancient traditions and rituals. Therefore, Chinese brides are increasingly opting for white wedding dresses.

In ancient China, there were many wedding traditions, each action was meaningful and strictly regulated. Moreover, in different regions of China, wedding ceremonies could be very different, because China is a multinational country. Even among the representatives of the main nationality of the Celestial Empire - hanliving in different provinces, the ceremony could be very different.

Despite the differences, there was a lot in common. The bride's parents had to prepare a dowry and "invitation gifts", which could contain various products and beautiful boxes with sweets. And the groom sent the wedding palanquin to the bride's house and accompanied him himself.

At this time, the bride was dressed in a red wedding dress. Red in China symbolizes happiness. And sometimes Chinese brides chose the traditional dress for the tea ceremony as their wedding dress. White in Asian countries was the color of mourning, therefore White wedding dress was unacceptable. Only in Japan did white symbolize purity and innocence.

The bride's hair was carefully styled, her face was painted, and a wedding crown in the form of a Phoenix bird was put on her head. The dragon and the Phoenix bird are two characters symbolizing the bride and groom, man and woman, as well as the emperor and empress. Therefore, the image of the phoenix was supposed to adorn the wedding cape, and sometimes it was embroidered on the dress.