Ying Zheng was seventeen years ten months and days.
This day was his marriage day. He was going to marry the prime Minister's daughter and although he did not give much in dowry the prime minister gave him land to give to them as dowry.
Contrary to Ying Zheng's expectations Zhang Lu's family did not have any negative views of him but actually respected their father's judgment.
The wedding was supposed to take three days and three nights.
Red and gold are the two colors most frequently used in color palettes. characteristic of the color red is that it "is known to divert negative energy away."
Across all of the Chinese traditions, red is by far and large the most popular color at all major celebrations, including weddings. The color red is associated with many positive traits such as success, loyalty, honor, fertility, and love. Because of this, traditional Chinese bridal dresses are generally red. Gold is also commonly seen in decorative wedding accents, as it portrays wealth and fortune.
Although red will likely be the prominent color on the wedding day, guests should not wear the hue as it is reserved for the couple of honor as the bride generally dons a red dress.
People do not wear black or white to Chinese weddings. Black and white are worn at funerals especially white, so that is considered bad luck. Also, people don't wear red, because that's what the bride will wear. They generally try to wear purples, pinks, or warm tones.
The wedding began when Ying Zheng and his groomsmen traveled to the bride's house. A tea ceremony was performed to pay homage to the bride's family before everyone headed to Ying Zheng's lavish estate for their own tea ceremony.
When Ying Zheng and his groomsmen arrived at the bride's house they had to pass through some challenges set by the bridesmaids before entering the house to see his bride for the first time the day.
The weddings were all-day affairs. From eating crazy foods to doing silly dances, it's up to the bridesmaids' imaginations. Ying Zheng felt uncomfortable he did not know when those crazy bridesmaids would pull a crazy trick.
The tea ceremony was one of the biggest components of a traditional Chinese wedding.
Ying Zheng and his newlywed bride had to kneel down not only Zhang Lu his wife and his concubines but also a lot of elders including King Zhaoxiang the imperial court ministers and generals. It did not end there it also included every elder in the prime Minister's family including the families he married from and the ones his children married and most importantly the Ying imperial family whether young or old were considered elders.
Once this was done, it was a sign of marriage in the eyes of Qin tradition. It's a ceremony where tea is served to the elders of the couple and a chance for the elders to impart well wishes and advice to the soon-to-be newlyweds.
At first, Zhang Lu wanted to make the biggest wedding in Qin history eclipsing even the King's but when Ying Zheng heard this his heart practically stopped and tried to convince him otherwise but he learned that the prime minister was just testing him.
Ying Zheng and the bride had to stand at the family altar, where they would pay homage to heaven and earth, the family ancestors, and the kitchen god, Tsao Chun. Tea with two lotus seeds or in each cup was offered to the groom's parents. Finally, the bride and groom would bow to each other—completing the ceremony.
Ying Zheng's parents were King Zhaoxiang and the imperial queen. The King is the father of the whole nation so he acted as Ying Zheng's parent and considering they had the same surname the King had soft spot for Ying Zheng.
After the tea was offered and a sip was taken, the couple received lucky red envelopes filled with money or jewelry.
This was considered the formal introduction of the families.
Although red envelopes are the main gifts exchanged during the wedding.
Ying Zheng had to prepare twelve gifts for the bride's side of the family. Ying Zheng also had to gift a pure gold pig necklace to the bride.
While good food is a staple of most wedding receptions, this is especially true of Qin wedding receptions, which are all about feasting. 'The dinners at Qin wedding banquets are usually 13-course meals and very lavish a sign of good luck and prosperity and status.'
Speeches were given during the banquet in which parents and grandparents were supposed to be honored but instead, the sly ministers were honoring the king every chance they got. Naturally only the slyest and smartest of the ministers were invited to the wedding.
Rice balls are also often consumed during the wedding day. "Eating rice balls signifies that the families will be together and live happily ever after,"
Although this party was lavish it was still the beginning the next wedding banquet would be at the bride's home and then the prime Minister's home although this was planned to be the end the King decided he would make six more days at the imperial palace in honor of Ying Zheng's merit. The King politely asked that the wedding be declared official in the imperial palace. So naturally, no one was opposed to the idea. Ying Zheng and the bride thanked the King for his generosity it was not like they wanted to cause unnecessary trouble for themselves.
In ancient Chinese culture, both the bride's parents and the groom's parents would often host separate wedding feasts. There might be a single feast for each family or a series of feasts over several days. The most important feast was considered to be the one given by the groom's family on the day of the wedding. This banquet was seen as a public recognition of the union.
...
The ninth night of the wedding after the wedding was finalized in the imperial palace by King Zhaoxiang himself
The An Chuang ceremony was about to begin.
The An Chuang ceremony is the setting up of the matrimonial bed before the couple embarks on their customary wedding. It involves decorating the bed with items that are meant to bless the couple with a blissful and harmonious marriage filled with many offsprings.
The An Chuang ceremony is conducted on an auspicious date and at an auspicious time.
Typically, the groom and/or his parents or grandparents will be part of the An Chuang ceremony. So for Ying Zheng, it would be King Zhaoxiang and the imperial queen.
During the An Chuang ceremony, the matrimonial bed was shifted slightly out of position and decorated with a new set of bed linen in an auspicious color red.
A young boy was invited to roll on the bed to bless the couple with an abundance of children in their marriage.
Ying Zheng was not a part of the hair combing ceremony so he did not have the leisure to witness it.
But he was a part of the firecracker team. Firecrackers are used to scare away all evil spirits.
While heading to Ying Zheng's home the bride threw away her fan.
"tossing the fan before heading to the groom's house signifies that the bride is getting rid of her past stubbornness and bad tempers as a girl and is transforming into a woman in hopes to become a good wife."
***
End of chapter
Anyway here are my references.
References:
the knot
Chinese Historical and Cultural Project (CHCP.org)
Wild Geese and Tea, An Asian-American Wedding Planner by Shu Shu Costa (Riverhead Books, 1997)
Information about the elements of ancient Chinese wedding ceremonies is generally credited to scholars of the Warring States period (402-221 B.C.).
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