Wedding traditions of East Asia
Tea ceremony and red packets, san-san-kudo and the pyebaek, the lucky day and the double happiness. 58 traditions on EveryShaadi so far.
Countries
🇨🇳 China 44🇭🇰 Hong Kong 7🇯🇵 Japan 23🇲🇴 Macau 1🇲🇳 Mongolia 7🇰🇵 North Korea 4🇰🇷 South Korea 21🇹🇼 Taiwan 4
Cities and towns
On the calendar
Japan, the spring wedding seasonJapan, the autumn wedding seasonChina, the autumn wedding seasonTaian, the luckiest daySon-eomneun-nal, days without evil spirits8/8, the double luck date9/9, the long-lasting date520, "I love you" day10/10, the perfect date2/22 and other repeated datesThe Chinese almanac and lucky wedding daysGhost Month
🇯🇵 JapanTamagushitamagushi (玉串)
A decorated sakaki branch offered to kami during Shinto wedding ceremonies and other rites.Rite · The ceremony
🇨🇳 ChinaJiaobeijiu交杯酒
The ancient Chinese rite of sharing wine from linked cups to seal a marriage.Rite · The ceremony
🇨🇳 ChinaHonggaitou紅蓋頭
The red bridal veil worn by Han Chinese brides to cover their faces before the wedding night.Attire · Procession and arrival
🇨🇳 China and 3 moreDouble Happiness双喜 (shuāngxǐ)
The red calligraphy symbol made of two joy characters that marks Chinese wedding celebrations.Adornment · The weeks before
🇨🇳 China and 3 moreMarriage coin charm夫妇和合花钱 (fū fù hé hé huā qián)
Numismatic amulets from East Asia that carry wedding blessings and fertility symbols.Adornment · Engagement and betrothal
🇯🇵 Tokyo, JapanShinto wedding神前結婚 (Shinzen kekkon)
A Shinto purification ritual featuring sake sharing and kimono attire held at a shrine or venue.Rite · The ceremony
🇯🇵 JapanTsunokakushi角隠し
A white silk headdress worn by Shinto brides to cover the hairline and symbolize modesty.Attire · The ceremony
🇨🇳 ChinaPhoenix crown凤冠 (Fèngguān)
A traditional Chinese bridal headdress adorned with pearls, gemstones and kingfisher feathers.Attire · The ceremony
🇨🇳 Fuzhou, China and 2 moreOil-Paper Umbrella油紙傘
A protective canopy shielding the bride from harm and blessing the marriageBlessing · Procession and arrival
🇨🇳 China and 4 moreCloud collar云肩 (yúnjiān)
A detachable shoulder collar worn by Han Chinese brides to frame the face and symbolize cosmic order.Attire · The weeks before
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Tamagushi: Urashimataro, Public domain, source
- Tsunokakushi: Flickr user Photocapy, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Phoenix crown: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Honggaitou: kanegen, CC BY 2.0, source
- Cloud collar: Unknown author, CC0, source
- Double Happiness: kanegen, CC BY 2.0, source
- Marriage coin charm: Scott Semans, CC BY 3.0, source
- Oil-Paper Umbrella: Richard, CC BY 2.0, source
- Shinto wedding: Jakub Hałun, CC BY-SA 4.0, source