Betrothal 过大礼/纳彩 (05.11.2007)

I have run out of stuff to blog. And also lazy 'x'

So I will blog about events from the past. Memories that were meant to be blogged, but was too lazy back then.

Today I am going to talk about one of the Chinese wedding tradition.

I copied the title from wiki.

Now, according to wiki :

Betrothal 过大礼/纳彩 Up to a month and at least three days before the wedding day, the groom and a friend or a matchmaker will deliver the betrothal gifts on the auspicious date chosen.

Western and Chinese wedding cakes and peanut candies, together with two bottles of brandy, at least six tins of canned ham and even number of oranges are included in the wedding gift baskets. Two pairs of dragon and phoenix candles 龙凤烛are also included. Also included is gold jewellery from the groom's parents to the bride, such as the Cantonese Dragon and phoenix bangle 龙凤琢 or the teochew's four items of gold四点金.

Mine happened about a month before my actual wedding day (26.11.2007).

Oink came with his brother in law to my house, with 2 beautiful hand-decorated baskets done by my mother in law.



I don't remember much. But from the photo you can there's red wines, canned goods, oranges, packed teas, and gold.



And there's also a big pork leg. According to my MIL, its a Hakka custom. And I'm a Hakka girl.


And of course the "deposit" for me, the mas kahwin. I don't remember why there's 2 different ang pau packets 'x'. But we got the red packets from 688. So we just use it 'x'. Oink's mum must have told him to use those two.

Now, we were suppose to return half of what we received. The wine, the canned goods, the oranges are easy. The money we also returned almost half back. But the pork leg gave us a headache. Its too big, how do we chop it into half? So in the end, my mum just cut out the meat as a gesture.

So, that's it. Hope its useful information for anyone who is getting married 'x'