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Most Popular Traditional Chinese Wedding Foods . Many of the foods traditionally served at Chinese wedding banquets are chosen to symbolize wishes for happiness, longevity, or fertility through the names, colors, and flavors of the food. Lobster and Chicken. Source: Woks of Life
Traditional foods served at a Chinese wedding banquet: The wedding banquet menu often includes traditional Chinese dishes that symbolize good luck and prosperity, such as whole fish, roast suckling pig, and longevity noodles.
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Why is Chinese wedding food important?
- Double Happiness Symbol. Pronounced shuāngxǐ, the double happiness symbol is one of the most recognizable icons incorporated in Chinese weddings. "The Double Happiness character is very aptly named—it's made of two connected copies of the character xi, which means 'happiness.'
- Auspicious Colors. Red and gold are the two colors most frequently used in color palettes for Chinese weddings. "Across all of Chinese tradition, red is by far and large the most popular color at all major celebrations, including weddings," explains Valente.
- Gate Crashing and Door Games. "The beginning of the wedding ceremony often begins first with collecting the bride. The groom and his groomsmen will travel to the bride's house, where sometimes a tea ceremony is performed in order to pay homage to the bride's family, before everyone heads over to the groom's family's house for their own tea ceremony," explains Valente.
- Tea Ceremony. "The tea ceremony is one of the biggest components in a traditional Chinese wedding," explains Bishop. "Once this is done, it is a sign of marriage in the eyes of Chinese tradition.
- The Betrothal. Known as the Guo Da Li, the groom will present betrothal gifts (gold jewelry, dragon and phoenix wax candles, tea leaves and sesame seeds, wine or brandy, etc.)
- Choosing the Wedding Date. The date of the wedding ceremony isn’t chosen by chance. “Many couples consult with a fortune teller, Chinese monk, or Feng Shui master to choose an auspicious date to bring success to their marriage,” shares Froelich.
- The Invitation. The Chinese wedding invitation is typically red with gold lettering and bears the Double Happiness symbol. Inside, it’ll include dates for the wedding banquet, order of birth, and names of the bride, groom, and respective parents.
- Preparing the Marriage Bed. The An Chuang usually takes place on an auspicious day and time, two to three days before the wedding. “This tradition is carried out by a female relative of good fortune—one with parents, husband, children, and grandchildren—where the bed will be dressed in new red color beddings and pillows with a mix of dried fruits and nuts such as longans, persimmons, and red dates,” explains Yu.
Chinese Wedding Food Traditions. In terms of Chinese wedding food traditions, a typical wedding banquet is a festival of assorted foods. It is an extensive eight or nine-course meal affair that features fish and especially abalone – a symbol of prosperity, social status, and good fortune.
Chinese wedding food is a key part of any traditional Chinese wedding ceremony. It is believed that the food served at a Chinese wedding will bring good luck and fortune to the newlyweds. From steamed fish to dim sum, many delicious dishes can be found at a Chinese wedding banquet.
Traditional Chinese Wedding Menus. Contemporary Chinese wedding menus refer to the types of food and dishes that are served at a contemporary Chinese wedding. These menus may include a variety of dishes, such as appetizers, main dishes, side dishes, desserts, and drinks.
