Chinese Wedding Superstitions

I am actually a very small percentage Chinese but having grown up surrounded by family friends who are from traditional Chinese families, I grew up knowing a good deal of superstitions and practices that, sometimes, my own Chinese friends didn't know about since their families were no longer as traditional as the ones I grew up knowing.


The one described by the image below was something I did not know about until after my husband and I chose the date and time we wanted for the ceremony. Funnily, it turned out that we unknowingly followed a Chinese tradition because our wedding ceremony began on the upswing at around 6:45pm and I estimate we said our vows roughly around 7:30pm.

When it comes to Chinese wedding traditions, timing is everything. In order to ensure they start their marriage off with good fortune, couples consult with a monk, fortune teller, calendar, or almanac (and these days, the Internet) to find the luckiest wedding day. The selection has to do with a variety of factors, including the bride's and groom's birthdates. And instead of saying their vows at the top of the hour, many Chinese couples start the ceremony at half past the hour, so as to begin their lives together when the clock is on an upswing.

I thought it appropriate to share this because I am now en route to a wedding: my cousin's (via my husband). She is actually marrying into what seems to me a more traditional Chinese family which may explain why their ceremony also begins at half past the hour.


Just a thought.