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
🇰🇷 Seoul, South Korea and 3 moreBlessing ceremony
The large-scale marriage rite of the Unification Church where couples are matched and blessed by their leaders.Rite · The ceremony
🇰🇷 Seoul, South Korea and 1 moreMarriage in KoreaKorean marriage (결혼)
A look at how Korean weddings blend ancient Confucian rites with modern legal practices.Rite · Finding a match
🇰🇷 South Korea and 5 moreBlessing ceremony of the Unification ChurchHoly Marriage Blessing Ceremony (축복결혼식)
A large-scale marriage rededication or new union ceremony that engrafts couples into a sinless lineage.Rite · Engagement and betrothal
🇨🇳 Guangdong, China and 2 moreQungua裙褂
A two-piece embroidered jacket and skirt worn by Cantonese brides for their wedding ceremony.Attire · The ceremony
🇨🇳 ChinaTraditional Chinese marriage婚姻 (hūnyīn)
A union between two families governed by Confucian rites and the exchange of gifts.Rite · Finding a match
🇨🇳 China and 1 moreTraditional Chinese wedding dress
The wedding attire worn by Han Chinese couples, from the fengguan xiapei to the qunguaAttire · The ceremony
🇨🇳 ChinaNaked marriage裸婚 (luǒhūn)
A wedding without a house, car, or ring, chosen by couples in China for love and financial necessity.Modern · 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
🇨🇳 China and 1 moreGhost marriage冥婚 (mínghūn)
A union arranged for deceased individuals to ensure harmony in the afterlife and care in this one.Rite · Finding a match
🇨🇳 China and 1 moreTongyangxi童養媳 (tóngyǎngxí); Hokkien: 媳婦仔 (sim-pū-á)
An adopted girl raised beside a son so a poor family could be sure he would have a wifeBetrothal · Engagement and betrothal
🇨🇳 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.
- Blessing ceremony: Farragutful, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tongyangxi: Unknown photographer, Public domain, source
- Qungua: Fduyjfroea Homz, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Cloud collar: Unknown author, CC0, source
- Traditional Chinese marriage: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Xiuhefu: Tunere, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Marriage in Korea: Jérôme Banal ( Eden2004 ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Marriage coin charm: Scott Semans, CC BY 3.0, source
- Blessing ceremony of the Unification Church: Unknown author, Public domain, source