From hair combing to door games to tea ceremonies, Chinese wedding rituals revealed

A Chinese wedding includes many of the trappings of a Western marriage, as well as rituals, traditions, and etiquette that must be followed. Inside Our series of Chinese weddingswe break them down and tell you how to get everything right.

Chinese culture is full of traditions and customs, and weddings are no exception.

There are six rituals that couples traditionally follow to maximize good luck as part of their wedding festivities: guo da li (also known as engagement ceremony); preparation of the bride’s dowry; setting up the bridal bed; hair combing ceremony; leaving the bride’s house; and entering the groom’s house.

To learn more about the first three, including why coconut is given guo da lihow many suits should be in the bride’s dowry and why children need to jump on the bridal bed – see. our previous article About Chinese wedding rituals.

We examine the last three here.

Comb, scissors, thread and mirror belonging to Lo Kan-fong, the bride's companion in Chinese weddings. Photo: Edmond So — Comb, scissors, thread and mirror belonging to Lo Kan-fong, the bride’s companion in Chinese weddings. Photo: Edmond So

1. Hair combing ceremony

The day before the wedding, couples go through a hair combing ceremony separately to indicate that they are ready for marriage.

1. Hair combing ceremony

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