What To Say During Chinese Wedding Tea Ceremony?

This article provides a comprehensive guide to the Chinese wedding tea ceremony, which is a traditional ceremony that involves serving tea to both parents and grandparents. The ceremony is a significant part of the Chinese wedding tradition, as it symbolizes the wishes for loyal love and a happy marriage. The order of serving tea is strictly followed, with the parents being served first, followed by grandparents, grand uncles and aunts, and then siblings in order of their seniority.

The groom should stand on the right side, while the bride should be on the left side. The parents should sit on chairs and wait for the new couple’s kneel and tea serving. The order of serving tea is crucial, and the modern, mid-ceremony Chinese Tea Ceremony honors the bride’s heritage by serving their parents small cups of tea.

An auspicious date and time are chosen for the ceremony, and the phrase “Name or kinship term, please drink some tea” is an important part of the ceremony. The bride and groom should also use phrases like “Family member name / Chinese kinship term, please have some tea” to greet everyone receiving tea.

To prepare for the ceremony, one should prepare red kneeling cushions and tea sets for parents and elders. The opening and closing speeches should emphasize the importance of family and the significance of serving tea to the elders. Overall, the Chinese wedding tea ceremony serves as a reminder of the importance of respecting and valuing family traditions during the wedding day.


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What to say during chinese wedding tea ceremony in english
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What do you say during a Chinese tea ceremony?

One really important phrase that youll want to use for everyone receiving tea is “Name or kinship term, please drink some tea.” This can be delivered in English or Chinese depending on what makes sense for your family, and it is said by the server while handing the cup to the receiver with both hands.

After the receiver drinks their tea, they will give their congratulations and blessings to the marriage, usually accompanied by a gift of red envelopes or jewelry. Make sure to thank them for this gift. If the gift is jewelry, its traditional to put it on immediately to show that the gift is appreciated and well received.

As you serve tea to your elders, your other family members — siblings, cousins,and even close family friends—will be in attendance to honor the tradition with you. Take some time at the beginning of the ceremony to welcome them and thank them for coming, and another moment to do so at the end. This is a smaller, more intimate gathering before the big ceremony, so you should mention how important it was that they could be there and how excited you are to share this experience with them.

How to incorporate tea ceremony into western wedding
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How much do you give at a Chinese wedding tea ceremony?

What should I give as a gift?. Gold jewelry is a traditional gift for the bride (usually given by closer family members like parents and grandparents). Symbolic cash in auspicious amounts (e.g., lucky numbers like $88) for the couples future is most common.Two red envelopes should be prepared—one for the bride and one for the groom.

Some say that the gold jewelry should be put on right away, but it may be enclosed in the red envelopes along with money, and its not strictly necessary unless someone is presenting it outright. Then it would be best to put it on straight away so as not to offend.

This can also be an opportunity to give the primary wedding gift, but it does not have to be. A smaller amount of lucky money may be given in addition to a larger amount as an overall wedding gift.

What are the 4 principles of tea ceremony?

Chado ( The way of Tea) is a Japanese cultural practice involving the preparation and serving of Matcha to a guest, primarily influenced by the Zen Buddhism and it is based around 4 core principles: Harmony, Respect, Purity and Tranquility ( Wa, Kei, Sei and Jaku). *Chado ( The way of Tea) is a Japanesecultural practice involving the preparation andservingof Matcha to a guest, primarily influenced by the Zen Buddhism and it is based around 4 core principles:Harmony, Respect, Purity and Tranquility(Wa, Kei, Sei and Jaku). By practicing Chado, the aim is to experience and integrate these principles into ones daily life. *Wa (和)or”harmony” embodies thefeeling of oneness with nature and people. It is expressed through a positive interaction between host and guest, guest and guest, and more in general between man and nature.It extends outside of the tea room through a way of living that isfree from desire to impress, compete and dominate, enabling a merging and transcending of individual egos and roles. *Kei(敬)or respect is the ability to understand and accept others, even in those situations when one does not agree with another. By being kind and humble towards others we give respect and encourage others to do the same. Respect is also extended towards utensils and objects, as a result not only of the human effortinvested to produce them, but also to the simple fact that they came to existence through Nature.

Modern chinese wedding tea ceremony
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Who pays for the Chinese tea ceremony?

Who Pays for the Event?. Traditionally, the brides family pays for the tea and décor. Chinese-style teaware and cushions (for the couple to kneel comfortably on) are usually used, with the double happiness Chinese character—which symbolizes weddings—printed on them.

How to Choose a Ceremony Location. In Hong Kong, where the majority of weddings feature a blend of Chinese and Western customs, the tea ceremony for the brides side is conducted at her family home the morning of the wedding day, while tradition calls for the groom and his groomsmen to go and pick her up. It is then conducted for the grooms family at his home if the day involves the couple going there. Doing this in one go, says Au, is “the best way.” But things are also flexible; if there is a lunch banquet, for example, you can also do the ceremony there.

For many Chinese couples, activities on their wedding day are centered around the “auspicious hour” for them to take place. The couple and their families select these based on the Chinese almanac, or consultations with Feng Shui specialists.

What to wear to a chinese tea ceremony
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What are the rules of a tea ceremony?

Tea Room EtiquetteLet the host seat you.Enter on your knees. Avoid stepping on the center of the mats. … Turn the cup slightly when it is passed to you to avoid drinking from the front where the last guests lips touched (for hygiene).Eat what is given to you.

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A Japanese tea ceremony is about tea only on its surface. From the positioning of guests to the cleaning of the tools to the scooping of the loose-leaf tea, everything has significance. The deeper purpose of the tea ceremony is appreciation – of the items served, of the efforts made by the host, and of other guests. That appreciation starts at the most basic level, by observing the rules of etiquette.

Basic Etiquette. A few simple rules, two of which are highly-regarded all over Japan, should be observed when attending a tea ceremony.

Tea ceremony wedding
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What are the four terms that are very important to the tea ceremony?

Matcha is the tea of the famous Japanese tea ceremony, which was established around the year 1570 by zen master Sen-no-Rikyu. The tea ceremony is marked by four basic principles:Harmony (wa),Respect (kei),Purity (sei),Tranquility (jaku).

In the tea ceremony, every movement, every step and every moment is precisely defined. The matcha tea ceremony takes place in a designated room precisely four and a half mats in size (a tatami mat made of rice straw covers 170×85 cm or ten square feet).

These dimensions for the tea room were stipulated as far back as the fifteenth century by a tea master named Jowo. The room is kept very plain and simple to help the guest to concentrate on the most essential thing: the tea. In the middle of the room there is a small stove and from the ceiling hangs a small kettle – often a veritable work of art. The seat of the host is surrounded by matcha bowls, tea caddies (natsume), a bamboo whisk, bamboo scoops and a bamboo ladle. The set-up changes frequently with the changing seasons. Even the age of the wood (visible in the cross-section thanks to the “growth rings”) used for charcoal is significant, as is its shape. Every utensil is symbolic, and the ceremony takes place according to a specific principle. The guests enter the room, and the host begins to prepare the matcha tea with slow, deliberate movements.

The fascinating thing about the Japanese tea ceremony is also the philosophy behind it: in Japanese, the tea ceremony is called “chado” or “sado”, which means “the way of tea”. And that is precisely how the venerable masters see it. Even after 60 years of performing the tea ceremony they still have more to learn. They are merely a little bit further ahead along the way of tea.

Can you talk during a tea ceremony?

Sachiko: Let me talk a bit more about “the traditional value of silence”. In Japan silence has always had a great value, much before Kenji Miyazawa wrote his poem. I think of the Japanese traditional tea ceremony茶道 as a good example. Formal tea ceremony is filled with silence. At the beginning of tea ceremony, when the host and the guests first meet, no one should speak, just bow to each other in silence. Then, while thick tea (koicha) 濃茶 is prepared, everybody keeps quiet. After the thick tea is served, only the main guest is allowed to speak to the host. Finally, even when drinking the final cups of matcha (thin tea, usucha薄茶) guests do not speak much. Instead, they listen to the sound of the water boiling in the tea kettle (this particular sound is called matsukaze松風 which means the soughing of the wind through pine-trees) or to the sound of the bamboo ladle on the ladle rest蓋置. At Beniya Mukayu we do not have any music, except from very low-volume music in the library. The library is also the place where my husband Kazunari – who is a tea master, as you know – welcomes the guests with a special tea ceremony. Switching the music off is the first thing that he does when he prepares; the tea ceremony is then performed in silence. Kazunari chats with the guests only at the very end of the tea ceremony.

Chinese wedding tea ceremony video
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What is the etiquette for Chinese tea ceremony?

As a guest, it’s polite to say thank you when you’re invited to taste tea. Men hold their fists, left over right, while women put their palms together, bow, and sit down before receiving tea. Guests should receive the tea cup with both hands.

Thank the person who poured your tea. You can show gratitude by bowing your fingers. This is an informal way to thank the tea master or server.

Younger or less senior: Tap once on the table with one finger. Your peer: Tap with two fingers three times. Tap with your fist three times. In formal ceremonies, nodding or saying thank you is more appropriate than the finger kowtow.

How to wish someone a happy wedding in Chinese?

In Chinese: 新婚快乐! Pinyin: Xīn hūn kuài lè! In English: Happy new wedding! Usage: Natural for both speaking and writing; formal.

Chinese wedding ceremony script
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What do you say to a Chinese couple at a wedding?

Chinese wedding wishes in English and ChineseMay you have a harmonious union that lasts one hundred years: 百年好合 (bǎi nián hǎo hé)May you live together until your hair turns white with old age: 白头偕老 (bái tóu xié lǎo)

Why are wedding blessings so important to Chinese couples?. According to Chinese tradition, auspicious behaviors, lucky symbolisms and certain etiquette, such as well-wishing, is preferred at a Chinese wedding banquet. No matter what festival or occasion, well-wishing takes on an important role in Chinese culture. It is vital to convey the respect you have for the new couple and their families. It is also an essential component in building and maintaining your social relationship with them and the people involved.

When it comes to traditional Chinese weddings, giving special wedding wishes is a wonderful way for you to offer your heartfelt congratulations and sweet blessings to the Chinese bride and groom. If you are invited to the wedding ceremony, it would be considered polite and respectful to give some of your blessings through the power of words. Whether you meet the couple through the tea ceremony or during the dinner banquet, your kind words are sure to bring joy on their wedding day.

But before we dive into lovely wedding greetings you can give, let’s have a look at words you should avoid.


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Christina Kohler

As an enthusiastic wedding planner, my goal is to furnish couples with indelible recollections of their momentous occasion. After more than ten years of experience in the field, I ensure that each wedding I coordinate is unique and characterized by my meticulous attention to detail, creativity, and a personal touch. I delight in materializing aspirations, guaranteeing that every occasion is as singular and enchanted as the love narrative it commemorates. Together, we can transform your wedding day into an unforgettable occasion that you will always remember fondly.

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