Wedding Traditions of Asia: China, India, Indonesia
Weddings are by nature symbolic of the union between two families with the purpose of celebrating the marriage of two unique individuals. The diverse traditions of rituals, ceremonies and sermons being practiced across various Asian cultures is truly fascinating. Starting in the East, we will traverse across to Southern Asia, delving deep into the traditions which make Asian weddings so extraordinary.
CHINA
Although weddings in China have undergone varying degrees of westernisation, the traditional tea ceremony has remained a prominent element of weddings in Chinese culture.
Emerged during the Tang Dynasty over 1200 years ago, the Chinese tea ceremony was initially referred to as ‘cha dao’ (茶道) or ‘the way of tea’. While kneeling, the couples are expected to serve tea to their parents, grandparents and relatives in order of their seniority. This tradition serves as a formal introduction, to show respect and gratitude.
In return, the couples receive a red envelope with money or jewellery. These red envelopes are often called ‘hong bao’ (紅包) in mandarin but are also referred to as ‘lai see’ (利是) in Hong Kong and the Guangdong province due to the regional use of Cantonese. The envelope contains either money, usually between 50 USD to 500 USD, or gold jewellery which the bride must wear immediately. In addition to showing respect and gratitude, tea is a symbol of purity and fertility.
You are guaranteed to witness ceremonies of the same liking if you ever get the chance to attend a wedding in East Asia.
INDIA
Image Source: Ashok India/Shutterstock
Due to the multitude of ethnic groups and cultures in India, wedding ceremonies, rituals and traditions have become equally as diverse. A ritual performed in one state may not necessarily be performed in other states. For example, Haldi is widely performed at Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka but seldom at Tamil Nadu and Kerala. With such a large variety of cultures to choose from, it is most appropriate to select the most prominent and fascinating to share in our analysis.
Before moving to traditions and rituals, it is worth mentioning the Indian wedding dress. In Indian weddings, the colour red holds a great significance. It is considered a symbol of life- the beginning of a new life. In addition to being related to passion, love and the rising sun, it is also related to the planet Mars (in charge of marriages as per astrology) which is also red in colour. In South India, however, it is possible to come across a white and gold attire.
The Haldi ceremony is extraordinary and consists of applying the paste of Haldi (turmeric) on the bride and groom’s body in their respective homes before the day of their Wedding. It is believed that the anti-inflammatory property of the turmeric helps to protect the couple from any illnesses. Whilst dependent on the couple’s choice, the Haldi ceremony is seldom accompanied by songs and dances. The tradition is especially prominent in Southern India.
Irrespective of geography and disparities in cultures, a post-wedding ritual of Saptapadi takes place in almost all Indian weddings. During Saptapadi, the attires of the couples are tied together, after which they circle the holy sacrifice seven times. The seven rounds represent the seven promises of life.
In North India, Hinduism is the dominant religion and as such wedding traditions are also heavily influenced by the faith itself. Traditionally, the wedding date is determined by observing the patterns in the stars and an auspicious time, known as the muhurta, is fixed for the event. Using the couple's dates of birth, astrologists calculate the position of planets and stars to reflect the celestial union of the couple. During the ceremony, the gotra of both to-be-weds is announced. A gotra is the ancestral lineage or the ancestor's original clan and is not related to caste or religion. It is rather a fascinating tradition due to additional influence from the faith and as dictated by Hindu law, marriages should not take place within the same clan.
INDONESIA
With observable similarities to traditions in India, ethnic groups in Indonesia have their own respective wedding dress, ceremony and customs. Indonesia is home to 633 recognised ethnic groups, of which includes Chinese and Sudanese, the two I will focus on for the remainder of the article. Naturally, belonging to different ethnic origins there is a difference in rituals, ceremonies etc.
Ethnic Chinese Weddings
Traditionally, about a week before the wedding, the family of the groom will go to the house of the bride with various gifts that are arranged in red baskets, red boxes or other red containers. The baskets gifted from the groom’s family are often carried by males and contain various items such as fruit, clothes, gold jewellery and 'uang susu' (milk money). Whilst some are gifts from the groom himself, others are gifts from the family of the groom. Depending on the wealth of the family, the gifts will either be more or less generous.
On the morning of the wedding, the groom is symbolically dressed by his parents by helping him put his jacket on and his flower on his lapel. His parents would then accompany the groom to the house of the bride where he picks up the bride prior to the service. The bride and groom would then go to the church, together in the same car, for the service. As the church service is not considered to be of particular importance, only immediate family attend.
The wedding cake is usually a monstrous size. Normally it is a Lapis Surabaya (a layer cake). The multitudes of layers symbolise a ladder that you can climb up to success. During the wedding, the bride and groom cut the cake together and then feed the cake to each other with their arms entwined, trying not to destroy the bride's elaborate makeup in the process.
However, it is important to note that due to modernity and changes in traditions, most of the ethnic Chinese customs which are seen in traditional Ethnic Chinese Weddings are being ignored by young couples and are not as widely adopted as before.
Sudanese Wedding Ceremony
Traditional Sudanese (West Java) wedding ceremonies are significantly different from Ethnic Chinese Weddings.
Some common practices include both the bride and groom wearing a selendang or veil covering their heads symbolising the mental union of two people. During the ceremony, as part of the tradition sungkem, the bride and groom bend forward and kiss the knees of their parents which is symbolic of asking for forgiveness and blessing and reassuring them that they will continue to serve their parents.
Sudanese wedding ceremonies are further distinctive due to their famous ceremony of Sawer. In Sudanese, Sawer translates directly as a spot where the water falls from the tip of the roof and the ceremony is usually taken place in front of the sawer or a gargoyle. The water flowing from the gargoyle symbolises the continuous flow of priceless parental love for their children.
The ceremony begins with poems sung by two singers, a man and a woman, who sing on behalf of the parents. The bride and groom are seated under an umbrella in front of the entrance to the house and are gifted with bowls of coins, rice, candies, and turmeric. The poem that is sung, often referred to as kidung, contains spiritual values for both the bride and groom. It not only advises the couple to treat each other well and to live in harmony but further serves as a prayer to the Almighty to bless the couple in their marriage.
Wedding traditions in Asia vary in their customs, rituals and ceremonies. From symbolic adornations on the bride’s wedding dress to the performance of various rituals during the wedding ceremony itself, the diversity of wedding traditions are representative of the various cultures and ethnicities embodied by the Asiatic region. The vibrance in cultures should not be homogenised but instead represented as individual traditions and celebrated for their unique significance. This short piece on weddings in Asia provides only a teaser for the depth of cultures in Asia. Other aspects of this truly fascinating region will be covered in further articles by our community of writers at Asiatic Affairs.