“Red Sorghum”, an early film by Zhang Yimou (director of the recent martial arts film “Hero”), introduced me to the colorful and noisy tradition of weddings in China.  I saw that movie over a decade ago, yet despite all my travels to China since, I had never seen one in person - until this day.  Here, a wedding attendent awaits the start of events, wearing the traditional red garb of Chinese wedding activities.

The bride and groom emerge, about to take a very unusual ride.  Though this ceremony had some of the elements of a traditional Chinese wedding, the procedures this day were quite different.  In times past, the bride would wear red shoes, red dress, red jacket, and an elaborate red headpiece that covered her face with a red silk veil.  The groom would wear a dark gown and cap, along with red shoes and a red sash.  However, Western attire was in vogue this day.

The wedding procession.  Here, the bride rides in the red carriage, with the groom following in a very untraditional green carriage.  In the past, the procession would begin at the groom’s family home; the groom and his attendents would take a carriage to pick up the bride at her family home.  After a number of rituals involving food, drink, and money (and even the throwing of rice), the bride would then be carried back to the groom’s home to become part of his family.

Musicians with traditional Chinese instruments precede the bridal carriage.  Along with the exploding of firecrackers, the playing of loud, noisy music was meant to scare away evil spirits who might bring the bride bad luck, such as the inability to bear sons.

Detail of the bridal carriage.  In the past, wedding superstitions could be carried to quite an extent.  The bride might be carried to the carriage by a “good luck woman.”  Mirrors might be placed on the carriage as well as the bride’s garments to protect her from evil.  The bride might be sealed tightly within the carriage to prevent her from seeing something unlucky during the ride.  The bride’s feet were not allowed to touch the ground at any time during the ride between the family homes.  Arriving at the groom’s home, she might be required to step over a saddle, because the Chinese words for “saddle” and “tranquility” sound the same.  The list goes on and on, varying from region to region in China.

Times have changed.  Many of those superstitions were swept away when the communists came to power in China, though some certainly remain - Chinese still often consult a fortune teller to determine a good wedding date, for example.  The wedding activities have modernized as well; few brides now ride in carriages, and when they do, the procession tends to be less elaborate than in the past.  And the wedding organizers now use cell phones to coordinate the day’s activities; the lead organizer shown here used the phone around his neck multiple times during this procession.

Curious onlookers from the neighborhood observe the proceedings.  Though traditional bridal carriage rides and wedding activities are rare in Chinese cities these days, they apparently can still be seen in the countryside with some frequency.

The colorful procession continues down the busy streets of Beijing, carrying the bride off to her happy future - red is the symbolic color of happiness and good fortune in China.  Certainly it was my good fortune to come across this ceremony this day.