New Weds

This new year has been quite busy! After I came back from my New Year celebration and picked up travelling 4 months of her, my senior high schoolmate from Taiwan came to visit me with her new wed husband yesterday. So here I was again, driving around and extending my Anita touring package to souvenir shopping, Pak'n Save, sunset beach walking on Browns Bay and Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World. Well, it's more like they took me there, as it was my first time visiting Kelly Tarlton after living in Auckland for 10 years! How embarrassing! :P

I learned a lot about Taiwanese wedding culture from those new weds;

• 提 親 (Mentioning the marriage) - This ceremony is when the guy with his family come to the girl's house and ask her parents for her hand in marriage. It's interesting to know that it happens sometimes even before the guy proposing to the girl now day (The couple normally get nagged by family members about setting up the date to see the girl's parents before the guy propose to the girl.) And apparently, it's better to get married in even age. Therefore, many of my schoolmates were married in a hurry last year! Anyway, during 提 親, it's time basically all parents discuss on the wedding customs, such as 小聘 (little betrothal gift- the money bride family will receive) 大聘 (big betrothal gift - the money that will be presented at the engagement ceremony) 甘蔗掛豬肉 (putting pork at the end of sugar can), 嫁妝 (dowry) etc., which surprisingly are quite different between north and south of Taiwan!
  
• 訂婚 (Engagement Ceremony) - It involves food prepared for the bride side's families, 喜餅 (wedding cakes), 台灣特有的拍婚紗文化 (Professional Wedding Photo done before the wedding. It's quite an unique spectacle in Taiwan) 鑽戒 (rings. I was told that there are two pairs of rings. One from both future mother-in-laws to their future son/daughter-in-law and one pair from the new weds to each other. I was also told that the groom has to "disappear" in the middle of the meal and leaves the bride to say goodbye to the guests. Plus, a millions other stuff you have to do and prepare before/during the ceremony.
• 結婚 (Wedding Ceremony) - It involves food prepared for the groom side's families. Apparently that the bride has to change dress at least 3 times. Plus another a million other stuff that I had given up to memorise by this point!
• 歸 寧 (The first time after get married, the bride goes back to paternal home for a visit) - Yes, Chinese culture is all about eating. This time again food prepared for the bride side's families.

I think I'll just stop right here because above is all I can take in one night. Those formalities are just too much for my little brain!! I reckon that it is made this way to test how willingly the couple really want to get married. If the couple are capable to go through all these, then they must be really in love...(Oh~~) I am sure no one would like to go through it more than once!

One more thing! The groom family pays for most of wedding in Chinese culture, while it's the opposite in western culture. Thus, from an economic point of view, I think my brother should get married in NZ and I should get married in TW :P

Anyway, I am really glad that they chose NZ for their honeymoon and spend a day with me. I wish them all the best for the new life they are starting with each other!