Chinese Wedding Tea Ceremony is a significant tradition in Chinese weddings that is still commonly practiced in Singapore. You may have attended a Chinese tea ceremony before, and everything might seem fairly simple and easy – just serving tea right? However, there is lots of preparation to prepare beforehand and many nitty-gritty details to take note of during the process that you might not know. There are numerous steps and elements in the Chinese wedding tea ceremony that carry specific symbolization. So, to avoid embarrassing yourself in front of your relatives or making mistakes to your future-in-laws here’s everything you need to know about the Chinese Wedding Tea Ceremony.
Do remember to contact Just Married Films for your wedding videography and wedding photography needs for your Wedding Day.
We also did an article on Guo Da Li.
With the influence of Western practices, much of the practices in the Chinese tea ceremony have been modernized for convenience. Discuss with both sides of the parents and elders in the family beforehand, and as long as both sides of the family are agreeable to the changes, all is good to go!
Table of Contents
What is the Chinese Wedding Tea Ceremony?
Chinese Wedding Tea Ceremony, 敬茶 in Chinese, is directly translated as to offer tea. During the tea ceremony, the couple will serve tea to both sides of the parents and elders in the family as a form of respect. Throughout the process, good wishes and red angbaos will be given to the couple to extend their blessings to the couple.
Significance of Chinese Wedding Tea Ceremony
Dated back to the Tang Dynasty, the element of tea in Chinese weddings has been a long-established tradition. So why tea? Why not coffee or juice? Signifying purity and loyalty, serving tea in weddings is a symbolic act of showing their pure and faithful love for each other, thus the use of tea instead.
There are many different types of tea ceremonies exercised around the world with varying practices and meaning. But one thing in common is that tea ceremonies should be done properly in respect. For Chinese wedding tea ceremonies, serving tea to the elders of the family is a form of honour and showing gratitude to them for raising you up since you were young. Couples kneel in front of their elders while offering their teacup shows the greatest form of respect to them.
During the tea ceremony, new titles are used to address each other, such as the couple calling their partner’s parents, ‘mum and dad’, instead of ‘aunty and uncle’. The change in greeting to the elders and relatives signifies that the couple has officially entered into their partner’s family and the formal union of two families.
When and Where to hold the Chinese Wedding Tea Ceremony?
Traditionally, the tea ceremony will begin with the groom’s side of the family in the morning of the wedding day after the groom fetches his bride (接新娘) to his home (过门) . After the tea ceremony for the groom’s family is done, the couple will then head back to the bride’s house (回门) to proceed with the tea ceremony for the bride’s side of the family.
However in today’s time, some couples may choose an auspicious day before their wedding ceremony and will hold the tea ceremony together at the same location for both sides of the family. We also see more and more couples having their tea ceremony on their wedding day, moments before their wedding reception. Just a short and simple affair of serving tea to some of their significant elders on both sides of the family, hosting it at a small function room or reception area of the hotel.
Alternatively, some couples decide to have the tea ceremony done at the bride’s family side first when the groom comes to pick up the bride, before heading to the groom’s house. This is to reduce the hustle of travelling back and forth from houses.
What are the steps to Chinese Wedding Tea Ceremony?
-
The sequence of serving tea
For each round, the groom is to serve the tea first followed by the bride. The couple should serve the male relative first and then the female relative. Ensure that you always serve the teacups with two hands and greet them by their formal title in the family.
For example, the groom will offer to his dad first, “Father, please drink the tea”. After drinking the groom’s, the bride will then offer to the dad also saying, “Father, please drink the tea”. Next the groom will serve his mom, “Mother, please drink the tea”. And after drinking the groom’s, the bride will then offer to the mom also saying, “Mother, please drink the tea”.
The general rule of thumb of the sequence of serving tea is in order of seniority – with the most senior elder in the family taking the priority, usually the great grandparents or grandparents. In addition, the groom’s side of the family would go first followed by the bride’s side of the family.
This is the general order of serving:
- Grandparents (some may choose to have the parents first)
- Parents
- Uncles/Aunties
- Elder Siblings
- Elder Cousins
- Younger Siblings
- Nieces and Nephews
Usually the bridesmaids will help to assist with the tea ceremony. One person will be holding the tray that contains the teacups with tea, and another will pass the teacups to the couple to serve to the elder. Every time the cup has been used by one person, the cup needs to be rinsed in a basin of hot water and refilled for the next relative coming up to receive the couple’s tea.
Relatives will present angbaos to the couple after drinking the tea as a form of blessings to the couple. Elders will also present jewelleries, usually golden jewelleries to symbolise wealth and long lasting love for the couple. These can be jewelleries that have been passed down from their previous ancestors and now handed down to the newlyweds.
-
Chinese Wedding Wishes
When the couple offers their respect to you with the cup of tea, it is only polite to show your appreciation by giving some words of blessings to the couple. Knowing that not all of us excel in our mother tongue language, here are some simple Chinese wishes that can help you avoid those awkward tongue-tied moments.
Also, check out our longer article with Chinese Wedding Wishes
早生贵子 (zao sheng gui zi)
Meaning: wishing the couple to have a child soon
白头偕老 (bai tou xie lao)
Meaning: wishing the couple to be able to spend a long time together till old age
心心相印 (xin xin xiang yin)
Meaning: two hearts beat as one, may the couple always see eye to eye with each other
永浴爱河 (yong yu ai he)
Meaning: directly translated as bathing in the river of love forever, this symbolises never-ending love of each other
百年好合 (bai nian hao he)
Meaning: may the couples have a harmonious union for hundreds of years
Preparing the Tea for the Chinese Wedding Tea Ceremony
The type and taste of tea are important elements to embody the essence of Chinese Symbolism and meaning in the marriage and family. Sweet tea is usually used during tea ceremonies because it symbolises happiness in the newlywed’s marriage and fosters good relations between them and their in-laws.
Each ingredient symbolise their respective unique blessing and here’s the different components that you should get.
Red Dates 红枣 ( Hong Zao)
Red Dates are used commonly as a staple in the tea, as it has a sweet taste that makes the tea sweet.
The Chinese thus believed in the symbolism that Red Dates represent the long-lasting sweetness of the couple’s marriage as well as the harmonious relations between the couple and the families.
Note! Upon using the red dates, do not slice or peel the dates but use them as whole to represent fullness and fertility.
Peanuts 花生 (Hua Sheng)
Peanuts are not usually included inside the tea due to its bland taste, but it is a popular choice to be accompanied as a light snack. The symbolism of peanuts is strong, with the character “生” ( sheng) meaning to give birth or born.
Longans 桂圆”(guìyuán)
Longans, or Dried Longans,is a necessary ingredient as well to make your tea sweet as well.
Within the Chinese name, the character 桂 (gui) has a similar pronunciation as the character “贵” which means precious. The second character “圆” ( Yuan) means round, which represents wholeness, fullness and completeness in the marital and familial relationships.
Lotus Seeds 莲子 ( lian zhi)
Lotus seeds are known to symbolise the blessing of bearing many children, as its chinese characters “ 莲子 ( lian zhi)” has the same pronunciation as “连” ( meaning to succeed) as well as the same word as “子”, which means children.
Have you found the keywords? Now, when you join the characters together in this order :
Red Dates + Peanuts + Longans + Lotus Seeds
枣( zao) + 生 ( Sheng) + 桂 (gui) + 子 (zhi)
These 4 characters formed the renowned saying : 早生贵子” Zǎoshēng guìzǐ, which ultimately means to bear children early, or hoping to have a baby in near time! Isn’t it fascinating?
Chinese Tea Ceremony Script
The emcee/host for the wedding tea ceremony plays an important role to facilitate the entire process. With the extended family and many relatives, most guests will be unsure as to what to do during the ceremony. Being the host for the tea ceremony, your role will be to explain what will be going on throughout the process and you will be the one inviting the elder/relatives forward to receive the tea offered by the couple.
As there will be English speaking and Chinese speaking guests during the ceremony, it would be good to have both English and Chinese scripts so that everyone will be able to understand and be included in the entire process. Toggle between both languages during the ceremony, you can switch with each segment.
When inviting the elders and relatives up to receive the couple’s tea, the proper title should be used. Though in English is simply just Aunt and Uncle, the Chinese language would be more confusing as there are different ways of calling for a specific aunt and uncle. Here is a guide to finding out what is the proper way to address the couple’s extended family in Chinese.
Simple Chinese Wedding Tea Ceremony Host Script:
“尊敬的贵宾， 欢迎来到 (groom’s name) 和 (bride’s name) 的敬茶礼仪。 我是 (your name), (groom’s name) 的姑姑， 将会是今早的主办。 在开始之前·， 我代表 (groom’s name) 和 (bride’s name) 感谢你们为了参加他们的敬茶礼仪，抽出了宝贵时间。你们每一个人对很大的意义。”
“Dearest Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to (groom’s name) and (bride’s name) wedding tea ceremony. I am (your name), (groom’s name)’s aunt and I will be the host for today’s tea ceremony. Before we begin, I just want to represent (groom’s name) and (bride’s name) to really thank you all for taking out your precious time to come for their wedding tea ceremony. Each and every one of you played an important role in the couple’s life, and they really appreciate having you all down here today.”
“敬茶仪式在每个华人婚礼是一个重大的传统。作为儿女，新郎新娘的敬茶是向父母和长辈感谢他们多年以来的养育之恩。新婚夫妇在敬茶时，也会向另一半的家人改叫正式的称呼， 意味着正式成为一家人。”
“The tea ceremony is a significant tradition in every Chinese wedding. As sons and daughters, the serving of tea to their parents and to the elders in the family is a form of showing their gratitude for their upbringing. During the tea ceremony, the couple will address the other side of the family to the formal salutation, signifying the formal union of both families.”
“首先，我们邀请 ___ 的祖父和祖母 / 外婆和外公前来喝新人茶。
接下来， 我们邀请 ___ 的父母前来喝新人茶。
下一位，请 ___ 的伯父伯母前来喝新人茶。”
“First of all, we would like to invite ___’s paternal / maternal side of the grandparents.
Next, can we have ____’s mum and dad to come forward to receive the couple’s tea offering
Next up, can ____’s aunt and uncle please come up to receive the couple’s tea”
Etiquettes During Tea Ceremony
- Groom kneels on the right while Bride on the left
- The male relative will sit facing the groom and the female relative will sit facing the bride
- The couple will also be served tea by younger relatives and the couple is to gift them with red packets after receiving their tea
- Proper tradition is to kneel in front of the elders, but for families that are uncomfortable with kneeling, bowing when serving the tea is acceptable too
- For the couple, serve with two hands when offering the tea, and receive the gifts/angbao from the elder with both hands as a form of respect
- Hold the saucer of the teacup as it may be hot, and avoid filling the teacup too full to prevent spilling
Preparations before the ceremony
There are actually many things that need to be prepared before the tea ceremony, and we have compiled a list of things to help couples out there.
-
Invitations
One of the most crucial things is to ensure that you have invited your guests for the Chinese tea ceremony. Invitations for tea ceremony is usually given out with invitations for the wedding receptions. Create a list of guests to invite and make sure that you don’t leave out any of your extended relatives.
It is important to get your family and relatives to RSVP so that you will have a list of people that will be attending the tea ceremony. This can greatly help for the other preparations such as the number of teacups to get and determine the order of serving beforehand to help the host better facilitate the ceremony.
-
Tea Set
Traditionally, two sets of wedding tea sets will be used. One will be the tea sets given to the bride in her dowry by her parents during Guo Da Li, which will be used to serve teas for the groom’s side of the family. The other tea set is the bride’s mother’s own tea set used in her wedding in the past, which will be used to serve teas for the bride’s side of the family.
However, nowadays it is not common for the bride’s mother to keep her wedding tea set and many couples host both sides of the family together. Hence, usually, only one tea set is used. During Guo Da Li, the bride would have received a tea set in her dowry, which is to be used for the wedding tea ceremony.
If the couple did not have Guo Da Li or the bride didn’t receive a tea set beforehand, the couple can just get a Chinese tea set from some Chinese wedding shops in Singapore. The teacups are teapots for Chinese wedding tea ceremony should be in the auspicious red colour to symbolise luck and happiness.
Where to get tea sets in Singapore
Le Knot is a one-stop provider where you can find all the necessities needed for every Chinese wedding tradition such as Guo Da Li (过大礼), Jia Zhuang (嫁妆) and Shang Tou (上头).
With 5 outlets in Singapore, you can easily find The Chinese Wedding Shop to get your wedding needs fixed.
Other than providing items for Chinese wedding customs, Shuang Xi Le also offers modern wedding accessories such as decorations and gift favours.
-
Chinese Tea
Traditionally, sweet teas are served for Chinese wedding tea ceremonies. Herbs like red dates, lotus seeds and longans are used to brew the teas. The different herbs have different symbolism and blessings for the couple. Here’s a video on the traditional ways on how to make and serve tea for Chinese weddings.
Red dates: 红枣 (hong zao), red dates in Chinese sounds like the zao in 早生贵子, which means wishing the couple to have children soon. The use of red dates also makes the tea taste sweet, wishing the couple a sweet and happy marriage.
Lotus seeds: 莲子 (lian zi), lotus seeds in Chinese sounds like 连, which means continuous. This is to wish the couple fertility and to have many offspring in their marriage.
-
Attire
During Chinese wedding tea ceremonies, brides commonly wear Qun Kua or Qipaos which are like the Chinese version of wedding gowns. Brides are to wear red in colour to symbolise luck and happiness in this auspicious occasion. Kuas are two-piece attires made up of a loose jacket and skirt, embroidered with dragons and phoenixes in gold and silvery thread.
Jak používat Tadalafil pro nejlepší účinek?
Jak nejlépe užívat a jakou zvolit nejvhodnější dávku? Pokud se ptáte, jak používat Tadalafil, rádi vám poradíme, jak na to. Užívejte jej buďto dle potřeby nebo jednou za den, vhodnost dávkování se může lišit člověk od člověka, nikdy však častěji než jednou za den. Pokud si nejste jisti, kontaktujte svého lékaře a poraďte se s ním. Lék se dodává ve formě tablet k užití formou požití ústy na lačno či s ideálně nízko tučným jídlem.
Pokud užíváte prášek k léčbě slabé erekce, dodržujte pokyny svého lékaře a pokyny uvedené v tomto odstavci. Záleží i na životních okolnostech rozhodujících o tom, který způsob dávkování je pro vás vhodný. Ke zvážení je užití podle potřeby, obvykle alespoň 30 minut před sexuální aktivitou a ne častěji než jednou za 24 hodin.
Často se užívá jednou denně každý den v nízkých dávkách, bez ohledu na načasování sexuální aktivity. O sexuální aktivitu se přitom můžete pokusit kdykoli mezi jednotlivými dávkami. Pokud ho užíváte podle pravidelného rozvrhu, užívejte jej každý den přibližně ve stejnou dobu.
Jaké zvolit Tadalafil dávkování pro vaše potřeby?
Kdy dojde při užití vybraného množství k dosažení nejlepších účinků a jak poznat vhodné právě pro vás? Nic nezkazíte, pokud si Tadalafil dávkování upravíte podle sebe při startu na minimální možné dávce. Dejte volbě správné dávky čas a vyzkoušejte si, co vám nejlépe vyhovuje. V čem je lepší malá 5 mg a velká dávka 20 mg léku zjistíte právě na základě osobních zkušeností. Zkušenosti uživatelů se totiž liší podle vážnosti erektilní dysfunkce a úrovně citlivosti na sexuální stimul.
Stejně jako u Cialis a všech ostatních léků na předpis je platné doporučení, že doporučená dávka by se během jednoho dne neměla překračovat a frekvence užívání by měla být rozložena do dostatečně dlouhých intervalů. Berte v potaz, že ve srovnání se sildenafilem je působení násobně delší.
Stačí polovina tablety 20mg a vše dokonale funguje cca dva dny. Tadalafil je možná o něco jemnější než generika Sildenafilu (tím nechci říct, že by to nefungovalo – to rozhodně funguje a velmi dobře, jen je to vše takové malinko přirozenější a na pohodu, se Sildenafilem to někdy nebylo k vydržení a místy účinek svojí silou až obtěžoval), ale ta pohoda, že nemusíte plánovat je skvělá. Nekoupím už nikdy nic jiného jak Tadacip, obrovská spokojenost na obou stranách 🙂
Cialis je lék určený k léčbě poruch erekce u mužů. Jeho generická verze je cenově dostupnější alternativou ke známému léku Cialis. Generický Cialis obsahuje stejnou účinnou látku jako originální Cialis, která se nazývá tadalafil. Tato látka pomáhá zlepšit prokrvení penisu a podporuje dosažení a udržení erekce.
Generický Cialis – vera-lekarna je k dispozici ve formě tablet, které se užívají perorálně. Doporučená dávka se pohybuje mezi 10 a 20 mg tadalafilu, a to přibližně 30 minut před plánovanou sexuální aktivitou. Účinek Cialisu generického trvá obvykle až 36 hodin, což umožňuje mužům dosáhnout erekce v přirozenou reakci na sexuální stimulaci během tohoto časového období.
Generický Cialis je lékařsky předepsaný lék, a proto je důležité se před jeho užíváním poradit s lékařem. Lékař vám pomůže určit správnou dávku a posoudí, zda je tento lék pro vás bezpečný a vhodný. Při užívání generického Cialisu je třeba dbát na dodržování doporučené dávky a nekombinovat ho s jinými léky pro erektilní dysfunkci.
Stejně jako každý lék, i generický Cialis může mít vedlejší účinky. Mezi nejčastější vedlejší účinky patří bolesti hlavy, zažívací potíže, závratě, zarudnutí obličeje a zvýšený tep. Pokud se objeví jakékoli nežádoucí účinky nebo obtíže, je důležité se obrátit na lékaře.
Generický Cialis může poskytnout mužům, kteří trpí poruchou erekce, větší sebedůvěru a zlepšit jejich sexuální výkon. Je však důležité vzít v úvahu, že tento lék neřeší příčinu poruchy erekce, a proto je důležité spolupracovat s lékařem, aby se zjistily a léčily případné základní zdravotní problémy.
Where to get Kuas / Qipaos in Singapore:
Check out more places to get your traditional Kuas
Why do men sometimes where a red ribbon for the ceremony? It looks like a giant flower or gift bow?