Stories of Cloth

Roslyn

A wedding in Taiwan

I was married in Taiwan in the 1990’s. My boyfriend and I approached our respective parents to ask permission to be married. Our parents consulted a fortune-teller to predict whether we would have a happy marriage. Our birthdates were compared, and as they were compatible, the Chinese calendar was consulted to select an auspicious day for the ceremony to take place. My family then distributed ‘double happiness cakes’ to relatives and friends, along with the wedding invitations to announce our betrothal.

The night before our wedding, my mother brushed my hair three times with a special comb and said three blessings. In the morning I bathed and put on the first of my wedding outfits, a red two-piece dress embroidered with elaborate gold and silver designs. The colour red is considered to bring good luck and keep away evil spirits. I then waited for the ‘lucky woman’ to dress my hair in a bun.

When the groom’s party arrived at my parents’ home, they were met by my bridesmaids. The bridesmaids refused to surrender the bride until the groom had answered questions about his new bride and given them red envelopes containing money. My groom and I then served tea to my parents, bowing to them and thanking them for my happy childhood. In turn my parents blessed us and said their goodbyes. A red linen canopy and floor covering adorned our leaving, and I carried a red umbrella and two fans I had been given by the ‘lucky woman’. As I left I threw one of the fans out of the car window to signify leaving my family home.

On arrival at the groom’s house we were greeted by a little boy with a plate and two oranges. I knelt and bowed to my new in-laws and was welcomed to my new home. I then served them tea before being led to the bridal chamber. The bedding was new and a little boy jumped on the bed to bring good luck in conceiving a son. In the afternoon my new husband and I had a large wedding banquet at a hotel, with more than three hundred and fifty guests. I put fresh flowers in my hair and changed into a white western-style wedding gown. The banqueting hall was festooned with balloons and flowers, and I entered on a red carpet.