Wedding Day #2

The groom has to go and get the bride from her house, and on the way there, there is the dim of firecrackers, loud gongs and drums. The little parade is lead by the groom, followed by a young boy, symbolizing the future sons. And the bridal sedan chair was proceeded by attendants with lanterns and banners, musicians, and a ‘dancing’ lion or unicorn. When the groom gets to the brides house, her friends are waiting there and (get this) won't 'surrender' her until he gives them enough money. In some cases the groom would dine with the brides family with symbolic food.

Then the bride needs to get to the grooms house. The 'good luck woman' and the brides family would carry her on their backs to the bridal sedan chair and and attendant might shield her with a parasol, while another one might throw rice at her. In tougher times, the bride might be brought out in a wooden box with her feet padlocked if she was too reluctant to marry (!!!)

Firecrackers were set off as the bride stepped off the sedan chair to scare away evil spirits. The physical movement symbolized her leaving her family for the groom. The servants that joined her would be carefully chosen and would have to have compatible horoscopes with the bridegroom. The sedan chair itself was heavily curtained to prevent the bride from inadvertently glimpsing an unlucky sight, e.g. a widow, a well, or even a cat. Attendants scattered grain or beans, symbols of fertility, before her.

At the grooms house, more firecrackers would go off, while the bride had to cross a lit stove to cast away bad spirits. At this point the groom could lift the red veil and see the brides face.