There is an old Chinese saying: "Rich or poor, get a wife to usher in the New Year." The weeks before New Year's are particularly popular for weddings. The Chinese have always viewed marriage as the most significant event in one's life next to birth and death. Chinese wedding ceremonies are historically complex and variegated. In recent years however, western influences have led to changes in Chinese marriage ceremonies.

Despite outside influences, the months from October to March have always been a boom time for marriage. "Ghost month", which falls in August, is considered an unpropitious time to wed. In contrast, the New Year season, when most working people have time off to attend weddings, is also "wedding season". The season is marked by a flood of advertisements for wedding apparel and wedding cakes, and a considerable absorption in the prospects of marriage.

Traditionally, the Chinese wife married into the family of her husband. The original purpose of the marriage ceremony was to aid the wife in this transition, and help her gain approval in her new environment. The complex wedding process gave her a gradual feeling of belonging, and helped all to adjust to the new arrangement. It also served to emphasize the solemnity of the event.

Chinese marriage rites were first established in the Chou dynasty in a document called the "Six Rites". Six preliminary rites were to be completed prior to the actual wedding. First, a matchmaker proposed the marriage. Next, guidance was sought from divination, after which the engagement was made and betrothal gifts presented. After this, a propitious date was selected for marriage. In the last preliminary rite, the husband went to meet the bride at her home before escorting her to his own home for the wedding.

Certain rites were also set for the actual wedding ceremony. In adherence to these, the bride and groom underwent kneeling rituals in the ceremonial hall. During the banquet which followed, the two dined facing each other, eating and drinking from the same vessels. Another rite involved entering the nuptial chamber.

Additional rites followed the wedding ceremonies. The wife offered foods to her parents-in-law as a symbol of her respect, after which the parents-in-law gave a banquet to welcome the new daughter-in-law. Similarly, the husband would accompany his wife on a return visit to her parents' home.

A number of lighter activities were also included in the wedding, designed to create a festive atmosphere and ward off evil influences. While these varied according to time and location, they often included throwing grains to signify fertility and prosperity, passing a hemp sack which represented the continuity of generations, and playing tricks on the couple in the nuptial chamber.

Such traditions were continued for over 2000 years, at times reduced or simplified according to era or locality. The level of complexity of the rites was usually related to the financial situation of the family.

It was not until the early 1900's, when a booklet describing the new procedures for "western-style marriages" was published in Shanghai, that marriage ceremonies were simplified to their present state. The new style marriage eliminated most of the preliminary rites, retaining only the engagement and wedding ceremonies. Often, both were combined in a single ceremony.

Simplification of marriage procedures was particularly apparent on Taiwan. Marriage rites on Taiwan, especially in the older cities of Tainan and Lukang, are most strongly influenced by Kwangtung and Fukien practices. But many newcomers who arrived from the mainland in 1949 did not bring with them the wherewithal to carry out complex traditional ceremonies. This resulted in the swift predominance of the western-style marriage.

Aside from historical factors, industrialization and societal change have also left little room for traditional marriage rites. New social roles for women have altered the nature of marriage and position of the bride, making many of the old rites obsolete.

The clearest changes involve the dowry and the money paid to the parents of the bride at her betrothal. The custom of betrothal money is a remnant of primitive society in which brides were purchased. Later, traditional agricultural society valued male labor while considering girls a financial burden. When a woman married into her husband's family, money was given to compensate for the cost of her raising. The dowry was given to the man's family with the intention that the new wife would be well treated.

Such customs do not apply in modern Chinese society. Women no longer rely financially on their husband's family, and now retain contact with their own family after marriage. Nor are girls considered a financial burden. Dowry and betrothal money have generally been phased out, or given to the couple to set up a household. Sometimes they are presented as a symbolic token and returned after the wedding.

Although today's marriage ceremonies in Taiwan may range from a full traditional wedding to a simple justice of the peace procedure, most contain elements of both east and west. Usually, the man goes to the woman's home to propose, at which time an engagement date is set. On the day of the marriage, an engagement ceremony is prepared by the bride's parents, and wedding cookies are given to friends and relatives. The actual marriage ceremony then takes place at a justice of the peace, church, or as is most common, a restaurant, after which follows a large banquet given by the groom's parents.

The new style wedding has been accompanied by many changes in detail. While white was previously an unpropitious color, it has now replaced the traditional red in the wedding gown. Western suits have replaced long robes and mandarin jackets for the groom. The wedding ceremony is now attended by a legal witness, and a mutual friend replaces the traditional matchmaker. While banquets were previously catered, they are now given in restaurants.

New style weddings have also fostered a number of new industries and services, from invitation printing and wedding cookie and candy production, to wedding movie-makers. (Video documentation has become a new wedding ritual on Taiwan.) New companies have been established which provide wedding apparel, make-up, hair-styling and photography, services previously sought separately. Some companies provide savings plans to help couples pay for marriage expenses. Others offer hired assistants to advise and aid in the organization of the ceremonies.

Despite these expressions of commercialism and modernity however, the most significant change in the marriage ceremony is what is represents. What was previously a marriage of two families has now become a marriage of two individuals.

Many sociologists express concerns however, that the simplification of marriage ceremonies may cause the marriage to be taken less seriously. Studies show that societies with highly complex ceremonies tend to have low divorce rates. Yet time and regional variations have created controversy over just what constitutes a standard traditional wedding. The establishment of a simple marriage ceremony which retains a grasp of tradition remains as a task for the future.

(Jill Ardourel)

[Picture Caption]

1. Today, few people get married according to ancient Chinese marriage customs. 2. Current marriages are a combination of old and new, east and west. 3. Now that young people have more say in how the wedding ceremony is to be arranged, new forms such as mountain-top marriages are beginning to appear.

1. Traditional marriage ceremonies in central and southern Taiwan retain the practice of covering the bride's head with a rice sieve. 2. In the north, the black umbrella has replaced the rice sieve. 3. Dried longans, peanuts and other offerings are placed on the offering table in an appeal for the birth of a son.

1. After the simplification of the wedding ceremony, marriage at a justice of the peace has become the most common form of ceremony for young couples. 2. Picking up the bride in a decorated tractor--an original concept. 3. Scholars have suggested that when the wedding takes place in a restaurant, the ceremony and banquet should be separated in order to preserve the solemnity of the occasion.

2. Current marriages are a combination of old and new, east and west.

3. Now that young people have more say in how the wedding ceremony is to be arranged, new forms such as mountain-top marriages are beginning to appear.

1. Traditional marriage ceremonies in central and southern Taiwan retain the practice of covering the bride's head with a rice sieve.

2. In the north, the black umbrella has replaced the rice sieve.

3. Dried longans, peanuts and other offerings are placed on the offering table in an appeal for the birth of a son.