Tianjin Wedding Customs
天津结婚礼俗
Tianjin Wedding Customs
Marriage is a major event in life, and wedding customs are highly valued everywhere. In Tianjin, the customs surrounding marriage, from the proposal to the return visit, are particularly elaborate. Here’s an overview:
Proposal Customs in Tianjin:
The purpose of the proposal is to finalize the engagement details and wedding date for the prospective couple and to reach a mutual agreement between both families. The number of people attending the proposal is usually an evennumber, with a maximum of six people.When making a proposal, it is customary to bring gifts.Traditional proposal gifts in Tianjin include four types of items, known as the “Four Color Gifts”: a bundle of vermicelli, a cut of meat (specifically, four rib sections), two packs of cigarettes, and four apples (or one pound of sugar). These gifts symbolize good fortune.
Engagement Customs in Tianjin:
An auspicious date must be selected for the engagement, usually first chosen by the groom's side and then confirmed by the bride’s family. If the bride’s side agrees, the date is set. Engagement ceremonies are usually held at a hotel or the bride’s home. In addition to the basic meal, the families discuss the wedding date, dowry, and betrothal gifts. In Tianjin, the groom’s side typically brings six types of engagement gifts: pastries, celebratory cakes, incense, candy, clothing, and jewelry. They may also bring additional items to suit the preference of both families.
Pre-Wedding Preparations:
The bride and groom must not meet the day before the wedding, as it is considered inauspicious. On the eve of the wedding, the groom’s family typically invites young male friends or relatives to stay in the new house overnight, a tradition known as "Tongnan Yachunag” (young boys pressing the bed.) Four apples and eight coins are placed at the four corners of the wedding bed to symbolize stability. The bride’s side must prepare even-numbered red eggs. Traditionally, the bride’s mother combs her hair the night before the wedding, a ritual called "head grooming," and uses two fine cotton threads to perform “Kailian,” threading the bride’s face from top to bottom.
On the wedding day, red double happiness characters are pasted at the bride's family home entrance, hallway, and hotel entrance, while small happiness characters are placed on appliances and furniture. The groom’s home features a large red double happiness sign to announce the new addition to the family. Female guests from both sides wear hairpines with the happiness characters to distinguish them.
Unlike other northern cities where fried cakes are a wedding staple, Tianjin weddings must include noodles, with a specific set of dishes: three kinds of savory noodles, four stir-fried dishes, and a full array of dishes to be considered authentic.
Three-Delicacy Stews: Includes pork slices, shrimp, and scrambled eggs. Higher-end versions may add sea cucumbers or crab roe. Ingredients include tofu, wheat gluten, dried lily flowers, black fungus, and shiitake mushrooms. After cooking, it's garnished with sesame oil, red pepper skin, and egg skin strips.
Four Stir-Fried Dishes: Includes stir-fried shrimp (Qinghe shrimp), sweet and sour wheat gluten strips (crispy from frying), shredded tofu stir-fried with meat, and scrambled eggs (formerly known as "pan-fried yellow vegetables").
Vegetable Assortment: Includes mung bean sprouts, spinach, cabbage, seasonal green beans, carrots, and cucumbers, varying with the season.
Tianjin Wedding Tradition of Fetching the Bride:
In Tianjin, the bride must be picked up after noon and brought home before sunset. In the surrounding counties, the pickup occurs in the morning. The groom's family is responsible for welcoming the bride, and it is traditional that the aunts can’t pick up or send off, rather it is the older female relatives of the groom who participate. The number of people should be odd to ensure an even number, including the bride, symbolizing "going out single, returning double." The number of wedding cars must be even for good luck. The route for picking up the bride and going to the hotel must differ, called "not retracing steps." The bride’s wedding attire, shoes, headpiece, double happiness symbols, and red dragon and phoenix decorations are brought in red wrapping cloth, along with four apples, which are exchanged with two apples from the bride's family. At the bride's home, relatives and friends from the bride’s side will block the door, and the groom must present red envelopes with small bills, perform tasks, and meet the bridesmaids' demands to have the door opened. Only when the people inside are satisfied will they open the door. Before leaving, the bride’s mother will give her a piece of candy, and the bride says, “Mom, I’m getting married.” This is called “leaving wealth behind for the family.” Once everything is ready, the wedding procession can depart.
In Tianjin, city wedding ceremonies usually start around 4 or 5 p.m., while in the districts and counties, they typically begin around 10 a.m. Both sets of parents should be seated at tables closest to the ceremony.After the parents' speeches, the couple will serve tea to both sets of parents, marking the moment to start calling them "Mom" and "Dad." Following the ceremony, the wedding banquet begins, and the groom must visit each table to offer a toast.
The Fourth-Day Homecoming:
"Four Returns" is a must—on the fourth day after the wedding, the couple must bring four boxes of pastries to the bride’s parents.That day, the bride’s parents will prepare a dinner for the couple to express their longing for their daughter and to give advice to the groom. The couple must return home before dark.
天津结婚礼俗
婚姻是人生大事，婚礼的礼俗在每一个地方都被十分重视。天津的结婚礼俗从提亲到回门都十分讲究。我们一一说来。
天津提亲习俗----提亲的目的是敲定准新人的婚事与婚期以及达成双方家庭的共识。提亲人数一般是双数，最多6个人。上门提亲是需要带礼物的。天津人传统提亲四彩礼有粉丝一把，肉一刀(要求带四根肋条的那种)、烟两条、苹果四个(或者块糖一斤)，四彩礼寓意吉祥。
天津订婚习俗----要挑选一个良辰吉日，男方先把日期选好，然后拿给女方看。如果女方同意的话，就可以定下来。订婚地点一般是酒店或者女方家里。订婚仪式除了基本的吃饭以外，父母还需商讨结婚的具体日期结婚彩礼与嫁妆。在天津地区，男方会带上订婚六样礼(西饼、喜饼、礼香、喜糖、服装、首饰)，参加订婚宴还可以带一些双方家长喜欢的东西投其所好。
婚礼前的准备----新郎新娘在大婚前一天就不可以再见面了，否则会被认为不吉利。新婚前一晚，新郎家里一般会找来新郎的朋友或亲戚家的男孩子们到新房里住一晚，老例儿讲究叫“童男压床”，新人卧房的床上四角再放四个苹果八块钱，意为四平八稳，这个习俗有的人家还保留。而新娘这边要准备双数的红皮鸡蛋。在老年间，新娘的母亲在大喜日子前一晚，要给新娘梳头，叫“上头”，并用两个细棉线叠着自上而下给新娘“开脸”。新婚当天，娘家门口贴单喜字，分别贴在楼道口、自家门口和酒店门口，小喜字贴在小家的电器、家具等物品上。新郎家大门要贴大红烫金的双囍字，显得热热闹闹，告诉大家新添了一口人。婆家娘家的女宾客头戴喜字也是囍喜要区分。北方其他城市婚宴上必备炸糕，而天津却是必须要有面，而且天津的喜面颇有讲究，必须是三鲜卤、四碟炒菜、全菜码，少一样都不算正宗。
三鲜卤：猪肉片、虾仁、炒鸡蛋，较高级的还会加入海参、蟹黄等。配料有香干、面筋、黄花菜、黑木耳、香菇等。完成后盛入盆中会再次加入香油、红粉皮、鸡蛋皮丝。
四炒菜：清炒虾仁(清河虾)、糖醋面筋丝(油面筋丝过油炸酥脆)、香干丝炒肉丝、炒鸡蛋(旧名摊黄菜)。
菜码：绿豆芽、菠菜、白菜、水发青豆、胡萝卜、黄瓜等会随季节有种类变换。
天津婚礼接亲----必须过了中午12点才能去接亲，且最晚必须在太阳落山前将新娘娶进门。而四郊五县则是上午接新娘。新郎家里负责迎娶新娘，一同前往的人讲究“姑不接姨不送”，一般是新郎的女性长辈。总人数没有具体要求，一般为单数即可，加上娶进来的新娘，一起接回来的人数正好是双数，意为“去单回双”。接亲的婚车数量必须为双数吉利。接新娘前和去酒店前的路线不能一样，这叫“不走回头路”。接亲的准备好红色包袱皮，还有四枚苹果，到了娘家接亲时，用包袱里的两个红苹果换娘家的两个苹果。包袱皮里面还要包新娘的嫁衣、婚鞋、准备好的头花、双囍字花、红色的龙凤花等物品一起带回家。新郎到了女方家门口后，女方的亲戚朋友回来堵门，这时新郎要掏出许多包着小面值钞票的红包往门里塞，还要表演节目、满足伴娘团的要求，屋里的人觉得满意了才会开门。新娘出门的时候，妈妈要剥一块糖给新娘吃，新娘要说：“妈，我要嫁人了”，这叫给娘家留财。全部准备妥当，接亲队伍就可以出发了。
天津结婚典礼----市里的典礼一般是在下午四五点开始，四区五县的一般在十点左右，双方父母要安排在离典礼最近的桌。父母讲完话后，新人要给双方父母敬茶，这时候该改口喊爸妈了。典礼结束后，结婚宴席开始，这时新郎还要遛桌，就是挨桌敬酒。
四回门不能少----婚礼结束后第四天，新人必须带着四盒点心回娘家探望新娘子的父母。当天父母需要给新人做一顿晚饭，以表达对女儿的思念和对女婿的叮嘱。新人一定要在天黑之前回家。
