The Household COO

The bridal chamber - formerly my hubby’s bachelor pad.

Preparation of the bridal chamber

Firstly, new wardrobes and a new bed must be made. The date for shifting these furnishings is carefully selected, just as the wedding date is selected. A wise man consults his calendar of auspicious dates and nominates an appropriate day.

About one week prior to the wedding ceremony, it was time for the bride to officially stake her claim in the bridal chamber, that is, she is to adorn the room with her “feminine” belongings.

On the day that she arrives, she is to be accompanied by two ladies of good fortune. These two ladies are blessed with the comforts of a wholesome married life and children. The two ladies will help her move in her belongings and decorate the room with festive splashes of the red and gold “double happiness” characters. Her personal effects are tied with little red strings and coin pouches are hung around the room. Red packets are placed in all corners of the wardrobe.

In addition to her own belongings, the bride has to bring along certain items:

- baby bathtub (for the first child she bears)
- a potty with two oranges and a red packet (to be broken into by a little boy who then has to urinate into the potty on the wedding day)
- new bedsheets and a blanket
- a basin and cloth for her in laws to wash their faces
- a tray for serving tea
- another tray containing:
1. Red and white flowers - meaning that she will bear boys and girls
2. A pin cushion decorated with dolls of little children - meaning she will be fertile
3. A pair of scissors
4. A piggy bank - meaning that she will help her hubby to save money
5. Some incense sticks
6. Some tea
- a pair of lamps - which will be lit for 7 days to signify everlasting happiness in the marriage

Four days prior to the wedding day, the groom’s parents will lay out the new sheets and blanket on the bed. The bridal chamber is then sealed and no one is allowed to enter. The evening before the wedding, the groom’s family hosts a dinner for relatives and close friends. The bridal chamber is opened for the guests to view. On that night, the groom sleeps in the bridal bed with an unmarried boy in the room.

I don’t really know the significance of that last, but I believe it has something to do with fertility and bearing children. Feel free to correct me if I presume incorrectly.

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 19th, 2006 at 3:30 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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