The Wedding Banquets and The Nuptial Chamber
2 min readThe Wedding Banquets
Generally，separate wedding feasts were given by the parents of the bride and the groom for their respective friends and families.Even at the feast，men and women sat separately.There could be a single feast for each or a series of feasts over several days.However，the most important feast was that given the groom’s family on the day of the wedding.It was generally considered as public recognition of the union.
Chinese food has special symbolism:mostly wishes of happiness，longevity，or fertility.The number of courses is also significant.At a Chinese wedding banquet，eight dishes are usually served-not including the dessert.In Chinese，the word“eight”sounds like“good luck.”（The wordsfor“nine”and“long”are also homophones，words that sound the same but have different meanings.At a birthday banquet，nine dishes are served with noodles at the end.）
The Nuptial Chamber
Though many traditional activities can no longer be seen at a Chinese wedding，the spree in the bridal chamber is still common both in the country and in town.The spree happens after the feast when the bride and groom go back into their chamber.Relatives and friends and neighbors，any one at the wedding in fact，can come in to play all kinds of tricks onthe new couple，especilly the bride.They make a lot of noise so that there is an extremely lively atmosphere in the room，which is believed to be an inseparable part of a jolly wedding.
