Traditional Simplified Malaysia Chinese Wedding Ceremony

As from my previous post about the Modern Simplified wedding, I write about the shorter process and shorter time required. However, on my own wedding, I choose traditional style of wedding ceremony. One of the main reason is that my wife want to have games during our wedding ceremony so that we can create some memorable moment for friends. After all the thought, I arrange for a dance session during the games. It took me couple of weeks to practice the dance choreograph and took me overnight to teach my friends.

The second reason as our wedding dinner was not held at hotel but at restaurant. Therefore, it will lack of space for the tea ceremony. If make it at hotel, at least I can request for a small function room. The agenda as following.

On Saturday noon, I gather my dance buddies for teaching the dance move. I choreograph the flow and arrangement for couple of hours. Just after 2 hours practice, I had to leave for the preparation of the wedding dinner. My buddies still practicing on their own without me.

After all the make up and styling, I fetch my wife and we gather at the restaurant at 6:00PM. I also prepare a video to play during the wedding dinner. Since everyone also doing the same thing.

Saturday:

6:00PM - Prepare and check the restaurant. To make sure all the projector, audio, video, door gift and reception ready.

6:30PM - Guest start coming.

8:00PM - Start of the dinner. I barely able to eat anything. Just few foods and ready for round table.

9:30PM - Dinner ended. Wait for all the guest leave and I back to our new house.

12:00AM - Dance practice continues with my buddies until 3AM.

Sunday:

5:00AM - Wake up and continue for dance practice until 7:00AM.

7:00AM - Prepare for the morning ceremony. Make up and styling. My buddies "heng tai" arriving at my house. I request help from Shyi Wei to pack some breakfast for all heng tais.

8:00AM - My parents start to send me to wedding car. As the procedure, parents will hold the son from the room and walk all the way to the car. Later they will go back to my house and wait for the arrival of the kuih and lunch dishes. We order some buffet. My parents and aunties helps to prepare everything.

9:00AM - Arrive at the bride's house. We actually rent a semi-D house. Upon arrival, the youngest male relatives/family member from bride side will open the car door. I pack a RM200 ang pow for the person. Then pass the flower to the young man. Bride's parents will receive the 12 oranges in basket from my side. We went to the house and start sitting. My best men will feed me with kuih. Each kuih have their own meaning. After the kuih, the same young man will pass the "egg tea" for me to eat. (it is a hard boiled egg, place in the dates tea). I then pack RM50 for him.

9:30AM - Games start. I started with dance. Then follow by egg passing game (as below, holy shit), yoga game and stone breaking.

10:30AM -  After the games, I give ang pow for the toll access to enter the house. I pack one big ang pow for that. After head in to the house, outside the bride room, there is another game. After completing the game, I pack another RM20 for each chi mui as ang pow. There was around 13 chi muis at that time. After meeting my wife, I will have to pass the flower to her. Then she will pin a flower on my blazer. Then a kiss after that.

11:00AM - Tea ceremony start. I will hold my wife to the place where the tea session will be held. Both of us sat on the chair and will be given 1 bowl of bird nest and we have to share that. There are some meaning for this. Then we start the tea ceremony. We start with praying the bride grandparents. Then tea serve to bride parents follow by relatives from eldest to youngest. Once done, time to pass ang pow to kids. I pack RM20 each. Then both of us will need to round the house from inside to outside for 3 rounds. (As traditional way, the couple both need to go back to bride's home after 3 days of married. During this 3 days, the couple are not allow to go back.) Thus this steps skip the old style. Then we will sit down with the parents and eat some food. It also means we already come back home after 3 days and have lunch with parents in law.

12:30PM - Heading back to groom house. Bride's parents will pass back the 6 orange in the basket with an ang pow.

1:30PM - Arrive at our house. Both of us head back to our house to begin the 2nd part of tea ceremony. Same steps as the one done at bride side.

3:00PM - After that, both of us head to the room. The bride will take off the groom blazer. Then the groom will take off the bride vail. That is all done.

It is a tiring day but it finish after 8 hours not including the wedding dinner and dance practice. If considering the most traditional way, this will actually last whole day. The groom will have to leave the house before sunrise (6-7 AM). Then after the games and fetch the bride, both will need to back to groom house first for the tea ceremony. After finish, will head back to bride house for tea ceremony. Then will head back to groom house again for the last part. The modern way only need to take off groom blazer and bride vail. The old style, bride will undress the groom naked and groom will undress bride naked. Then they will start their baby making on that spot.

In old days, China people wake very early to start the process. After all the tea ceremony, they don't go back to undress yet. They will start the wedding dinner on the same day. During the wedding dinner, the bride will stay at the room waiting for the groom to finish the dinner and entertain the guest. Then the groom will come in and start undressing each other. I cannot imagine after the whole super tired day, they still have the energy to work overtime.