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
🇰🇷 South KoreaBlack DayBlack Day (Korean: 블랙데이)
A South Korean day for singles to gather and eat black bean noodles after missing Valentine's and White Day gifts.Feast custom · The weeks before
🇯🇵 Tokyo, JapanMizuhiki水引
The knotted paper cord that adorns Japanese wedding gifts and envelopesAdornment · Engagement and betrothal
🇨🇳 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 2 moreChinese pre-wedding customs三書六禮 (sàam syù luhk láih)
The traditional betrothal rituals of the Book of Rites that prepare a Chinese marriage.Betrothal · Finding a match
🇨🇳 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
🇰🇷 Jeju, South KoreaJeju Chilmeoridang Yeongdeunggut제주 칠머리당영등굿
A Jeju Island shaman ritual welcoming the goddess of the sea with horse-head posts and lanterns at the Korean New Year.Blessing · The weeks before
🇰🇷 South KoreaHahoe byeolsingut talnori하회별신굿탈놀이
A rare Korean masked dance-drama performed to appease the village deity Seonangsin in Hahoe.Rite · The weeks before
🇨🇳 ChinaHebao荷包 (Hébāo)
A traditional Chinese embroidered pouch used for gifts, medicine, and romantic tokens.Adornment · Engagement and betrothal
🇯🇵 Kyoto, Japan and 5 moreTeeth blackeningohaguro
A traditional practice of dyeing teeth black to signal adulthood and beauty in parts of Asia and Oceania.Adornment · 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
🇯🇵 JapanYobai夜這い
A Japanese tradition of nighttime courtship visits before marriage.Betrothal · Finding a match
🇰🇷 South KoreaChaesang채상 (Chaesang)
Woven bamboo boxes used to store dowry items in traditional Korean weddingsGift custom · Engagement and betrothal
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Teeth blackening: momo, CC BY 2.0, source
- Cloud collar: Unknown author, CC0, source
- Mizuhiki: User:FA2010, Public domain, source
- Double Happiness: kanegen, CC BY 2.0, source
- Jeju Chilmeoridang Yeongdeunggut: by karendotcom127, CC BY 2.0, source
- Black Day: by 아침꿀물 at Flickr, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Chinese pre-wedding customs: Anonymous ( China ) Unknown author, CC0, source
- Hahoe byeolsingut talnori: Ian Sewell, CC BY-SA 2.5, source