In the Chinese wedding, the tea ceremony is the most important aspect. It is during this ceremony when the bride becomes a part of the groom’s family. Basically, the tea ceremony is the formal introduction of the bride to the family of the groom. The couple will serve tea in kneeling position to the family elders.
It all depends on the couple and their families when the tea ceremony will be held. In some occasions, the tea ceremony follows the banquet while in other practices it is set at a later date. The couple will conduct the tea ceremony first at the groom’s house, and it will be followed at the bride’s house.
The tea is served in order of the elders. The parents will be the first ones offered with tea, followed by the grandparents, great uncles or aunts, uncles or aunts, older brothers/sisters, older cousins. When a family member is not present, a tea will be served to the spouse of the relative. This is also observed when the family member is deceased.
The tea is made from red dates and lotus seeds, while the tea set used is the one included in the dowry or it can be the tea set of the parents.
