One of my favorite things about being a Celebrant is learning about the rituals and ceremonies from other cultures.
As you may probably know, many cultures have some type of wine ceremony for weddings. Recently, I learned more about the Chinese wine ceremony. I had picked up the book, "Wild Geese and Tea- An Asian-American Wedding Planner," by Shu Shu Costa, in order to learn more about Chinese weddings. In my reading, I came across the details of this particular wedding ritual.
The wine ceremony is one of five Chinese wedding rituals. In this particular ritual, the bride and groom sip wine from delicate cups, which are tied together with red string. They then cross their arms, exchange cups, and drink again.
This ritual, "tuan yuan," is known as 'completing the circle.' When the couple shares the wine, it means that their lives together will be harmonious. In some weddings, the bride and groom are themselves tied together with a red sash.
Isn't that a lovely celebration of unity?
