Chaoshan wedding custom sweet tea

"Sweet tea" is made by adding brown sugar to tea to express sweetness and beauty, commonly known as "Fucha". On the day of Chaoshan folk wedding, the bride will greet relatives and friends with a red plate, 24 mahogany cups and sweet tea. After the family banquet, the bride should also worship her immediate elders with sweet tea. The elders sat in the class according to their seniority, and the bride knelt down according to their seniority and served sweet tea in turn. The worshippers receive the bride, drink two cups of tea, say some words of blessing, then give the bride a red envelope or gold and silver jewelry, commonly known as "face money"

In Chaoshan area, not only the bride should kneel down to offer sweet tea, but also the new son-in-law will do so on festive days. For example, in Jieyang area, after a daughter gets married, her family must choose an auspicious day, or take the opportunity of playing the fairy game in the village to prepare a banquet and invite her new son-in-law to have a banquet at home. This is called eating a red table. In some places (Weichao Township, Yuhu, Jieyang), the whole town has the custom of collectively entertaining new son-in-law. After the banquet, the new son-in-law returned to Yue family and knelt down to offer fragrant tea to her parents-in-law and the elders of Yue family. Her parents-in-law and elders gave her a red envelope, which was called a reward.

Wedding custom sweet tea

After the luncheon, the mother-in-law or groom will take the bride to meet the elders, relatives, in-laws and guests at home, and offer sweet tea (adding brown sugar to tea, commonly known as "blessing tea") in turn from the elders to the younger generation to express sweetness and beauty.

When offering sweet tea, the bride bowed her head and said nothing. The man's family introduces the title of tea collector, and then the bridesmaid introduces it to the bride. The bride presents sweet tea to the introducer, and the recipient drinks two cups of sweet tea, gives the bride red envelopes or gold and silver jewelry, which is called "face money" and says some blessings.

At the wedding in Rosty Yi, the bride will give sweet tea to the relatives of the elders, which means filial piety to the elders and sweetness of the family. Early this morning, my family has prepared a big pot of sweet tea, a brand-new big tea tray with 24 teacups, all red and shiny. The hall is covered with straw mats, with a plush chair at one end and tapestries on it. Sweet tea is served in the order of generations.

Ancestors, fathers, men and women, one after another. For the elders, the bride used to kneel on the table and serve tea with both hands. When an elder drinks a cup of hi-tea, he will give a red envelope in return, saying that "children and grandchildren will achieve something, and their families will have a bright future".

There are gold earrings, gold rings or coins in the "red envelope". As for peers, you don't have to kneel down. After drinking sweet tea, we poured a big plate of sweet tea, and invited the younger children to "have a good drink". Everyone is invited to have a cup of holiday tea happily.