The family of the groom-to-be selects a lucky day, writes invitations and prepares a pair of chickens and fish (the Chinese names for which are homonyms for "auspicious" and "surplus"), as well as a pork loin of about three to five kilos to send to the family of the bride-to-be. Meanwhile, the girl's family busily prepares for the wedding. The day before the big event, the groom's relatives send an envoy to present cotton-padded red clothes and red veil for the bride to wear at the wedding, as well as somejewelry and other presents. In return, the bride's side gives the envoy a list of the guests who plan to accompany the bride to the wedding. They also inform him of the time the bride plans to get on and off the sedan-chair, as well as the direction the sedan-chair should face for the best luck. The list also identifies taboos. On the eve of wedding, a "warming the sedan-chair" ceremony is held.
The wedding ceremony itself is a complex but meaningful sequence of rituals. Such event incur debts that require years of hard work, both before and after the happy event, to repay. For this reason, the government advocates simplified and more ecnomical weddings. However, many people still fell that since marriage is one of the most important issues in one's life, the day one enters into this commitment deserves to be honored in a special way. Thus, the ancient customs linger on.
