Hsu describes a variation on the wedding ritual, which does not include
the presentation of tea to the parents:
"When the chairs arrive in the bridegroom's home, three ritual
offerings are made: the couple first pay homage to Gods of Heaven and Earth,
then to the Kitchen God, and then to the ancestors. At each altar offerings
of food, fruit, and flowers were laid before the actual rituals were begun.
The bridegroom inserts fresh incense sticks into the bowls before kowtowing
side by side with his bride. These rites are necessary to give spiritual
validation to the marriage. Then the couple is led by an elderly woman,
usually of the same clan, to pay respect (by kowtowing) to the boy's parents,
uncles, aunts, the older brothers and sisters-in-law, and any other senior
relatives present. This is the formal introduction of the bride into the
house and clan, and is the social validation of the marriage."
Hsu 1971, 95
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