Let me start the meaning of 'Guo Da Li' (pronounced in mandarin) by showing this picture. Nice eh! Haha! Last Sunday (31st August 2008) was my 'Guo Da Li' day and it so happened to coincide with our national independence day. Now some of you may wonder why did we choose such a date, well, we didn't. We followed the chinese traditions of picking prosperous dates according to our family characteristics, etc by a chinese elder.
'Guo Da Li' is actually a day where the bridegroom's family members represented by the eldest/respectable member of the family brings wedding gifts to the bride's family members to express their son's intention to marry the other family's daughter. Now that was in the ancient days. In the modern context, this is the day where we bring gifts and money to the bride's family and also to seal the 'deal'. This event usually takes place one or two weeks before the actual wedding day.
'Guo Da Li' is actually a day where the bridegroom's family members represented by the eldest/respectable member of the family brings wedding gifts to the bride's family members to express their son's intention to marry the other family's daughter. Now that was in the ancient days. In the modern context, this is the day where we bring gifts and money to the bride's family and also to seal the 'deal'. This event usually takes place one or two weeks before the actual wedding day.
Now the pair of live chicken is a very important item here. It is to be presented to the bride's family. And in return, the bride's family will also present a pair of live chicken so that it will 'lead the way' back. During the actual wedding day, the live chicken is to be released under the bed. There we will have many beans and grains to attract the chickens. It is Chinese belief that the couple will bear their first son if the rooster comes out from under the bed first. Lets move on.
Part of the gifts, we have vegetables (together with the roots), a pig's front legs, etc. The vegetables mean life and the pig means something else which I am not familiar. Hehe! My immediate family members were also here to help out!
Everybody was so busy packing up while I was busy shooting photographs so that I can keep a record of the things to do when my future son gets married. Hehe! Pictures are easier to remember than a long list of meaningless items.
While having some time to spare, I spotted my niece peeping around. There she is, very cute girl.
Tying of the vege. I don't know what that means but it should be something to do with prosperity, etc. What else the Chinese wants? Hehehe!
Thats me taking pictures with all the gifts prepared
A picture with everyone before we set off to the bride's house.
There! One truck load of stuffs. We actually needed two cars just for the gifts! We didn't want to stack them together otherwise they will be squashed.
Then 15 minutes later, we have reached the bride's house. See below! We have unloaded all the gifts.
Then 15 minutes later, we have reached the bride's house. See below! We have unloaded all the gifts.
Then we proceeded to the bride's house which was on the 2nd floor of the shop lots, where Sharon stays. There we were greeted by the bride's family and their elders.
So one of the very first things I was required to do was to present a gift to the eldest family member of the bride's. That is Sharon's grandma, oldest in the family. 85 years old! She came all the way from China when she was just 14. Very strong woman.
Next, it was my mother-in-law's turn. I am also required to present the 'ang pau' money to the bride's family. This is where we usually pay the dowry.
Lastly, it is my mom's turn to present the 'lai lai's gifts to her daugher-in-law. In Chinese tradition, the bridegroom's mother is required to present her a bangle made of gold as the bride's wedding gift. A pair of ear-rings are also presented.
Here's a family photo! A union of two families.
Here's a picture of the gifts prepared by the bride's family in return for the bridegroom's gifts.There are many things here so let me go through them one by one. First the two golden bowls in the yellow box. This is symbolizes the fortune that we will earn and to provide the entire family with food. Next to it is the sowing kit for the bride. In the ancient Chinese tradition, the wife must know how to sew in order to become a good wife. Next to the sewing kit, the two whitish cake is called Kai Tan Kou. It is a cake made out of beaten eggs. On top of the two cakes are the grains and seeds. These are required to be placed on the bed later during the actual day. See the two golden coconuts? In Cantonese pronounciation, they are called 'Lou Ye' meaning old coconut. The tone however, is also similar to how the bride calls the bridegroom's father, father-in-law in Cantonese.
Here's a picture of my wife, Sharon and her niece, QiQi!
Here's a picture of the gifts loaded into their baskets.
Here's a picture of the sewing kit.
The golden bowl and a properity packet.
Chinese wedding delicacy.
Seeds and grains.
The Chinese wedding customary biscuit, 'Ka Lui Peang' and some orange tangerines.
Chinese mushrooms and some veges.
Facial towels to be distributed to the bridegroom's family members during the actual day.
A lotus's roots.
And finally in this last picture, we have the oil lamp (electric operated by the way, hehe!), the potty, facial bucket and the larger one where we use to bath our babies. All these have different meanings. In Chinese pronunciation, the lamp is called 'Deng' and it is very similar to the calling of sons, 'Ding'. So lighting the lamps signifies the addition of sons to the family. The potty however is for the youngest son in the family. He required to 'pee' (pardon the pun) into the potty. That was the olden times, but now he is simply required to break the opening and collect an 'ang pau' placed inside it. Depending on different ethnic groups of Chinese, they can be different too.
So here you go, my Guo Da Li. Offical big day is just less than one week away! Thanks for viewing. Watch this space too!
So here you go, my Guo Da Li. Offical big day is just less than one week away! Thanks for viewing. Watch this space too!
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