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Since ancient times, marriage has been regarded as most blessed events in the life of a Chinese passing the imperial examination and the birth of one's children. one of the three The other firvo are Marriage was solemnized with lots of interesting customs performed to this day.
从古至今，婚礼一直被中国人认为是人生三大快事之一。另外两个分别是金榜题名和生子。为了使婚礼看起来庄严正式，中国人有很多沿用至今的有意思的风俗习惯，有些至今仍在沿用。
It was very important to follow a basic principle of the "Three Letters and Six Etiquettes" in the past. Even now some customs are still followed.
遵循“三书六礼”的基本原则在过去是非常重要的。即使在现在过去的一些习俗仍在沿用，当然有时候会根据实际情况做一些变动。
Three Letters
三书
The "Three Letters" include the Betrothal letter, Gift Letter and Wedding Letter.The Betrothal Letter is the formal document of the engagement，a must in a marriage. Next is the Gift Letter,which would be given to the identified girl's family.Within the letter will be a list of the types and quantity of gifts designated for the wedding. Once both parties accept the marriage，the Wedding Letter is prepared and presented to the bride's family on the day of the wedding and is a document that confirmed and commemorated the formal acceptance of the bride into the bridegroom's family, with some adaptations of course.
“三书”包括聘书、礼书和迎书。聘书是订婚的重要文书，是结婚必需的。礼书是给女方家的，其中应列出婚礼所需的礼物的种类和数量。一旦双方同意结婚，男方要准备迎书在结婚当日呈给女方家人，迎书的目的是确认男方已经正式将新娘接纳为家庭的一员。
Six Etiquettes
六礼
Proposal: If an unmarried boy's parents identify a girl as their future daughter-in-law, they will then locate a matchmaker. The matchmaker will formally present his or her client's request to the identified girl's parents.
纳彩：未婚男方的父母确定未来儿媳的人选之后，就会请来媒人牵线。媒人会正式向女方家长提出男方的请求。
Birthday matching: If the potential bride's parents do not object to the marriage, the matchmaker will then ask for the girl's birthday and birth-hour to assure the compatibility of the potential bride and bridegroom. If the couple's birthdays and birth-hours do not conflict according to astrology，the marriage will continue onto the next stage. If there is any sign of astrological conflict, which meant the marriage will bring disasters upon both families，the proposed marriage is immediately quashed.
问名：如果女方父母不反对这门亲事，媒人就会要求他们提供女孩的生辰八字，看看男孩和女孩是否相合。如果相合，婚礼会进人下个阶段。如果相冲，两人的结合会给家庭带来灾难，求婚会立刻终止。
Presenting betrothal gifts: Once both birthdays matched，the bridegroom's family will then arrange for the matchmaker to present betrothal gifts，including the betrothal letter, to the bride's family.
纳吉：一旦双方的生辰相合，男方会安排媒人给女方送去聘礼，其中包括聘书。
Presenting wedding gifts: After the betrothal letter and betrothal gifts are accepted，the bridegroom's family will later formally send wedding gifts to the bride's family. Usually，gifts may include tea，lotus seeds, longan，red beans，green beans，red dates，oranges，pomegranate，and other delicacies，depending on local customs and family wealth.
纳征：女方接受了聘书和聘礼后，男方会正式给女方送去“大礼”，其中通常会包括茶叶、莲子、龙眼、瓜子、红豆、绿豆、红枣、橘子、石榴和其他一些物品。由于各地习惯不同和家庭贫富不等，聘礼的内容和数量会有一定差异。
Picking a wedding date: An astrologist or astrology book will be consulted to select an auspicious date to hold the wedding ceremony.
请期：男方和女方会征求方士的意见或者查阅相关典籍来确定婚礼举行的好日子。
Wedding ceremony: Before the wedding，a“good luck woman" who has a nice family will arrange the bridal bed and scatter symbolic fruits on the bed. Nobody is allowed to touch the bed until the couple enters the bridal chamber after the wedding ceremony，except Children who are invited onto the bed to bless the couple with fertility.
迎亲：婚礼举行之前，会有家庭比较好的“喜婆”铺婚床，在床上撒有象征意义的水果。新婚夫妇婚礼之后进入新房之前，除了邀请来祝新人早生贵子的孩子外，任何人不得碰婚床。
Usually the bride's dowry shall be sent to the bridegroom's family by the day before the wedding day. Sometimes the dowry will be brought by the bride's estorts. Q traditional dowry normally consists of valuable items such as jewellery embroidered beddings，kitchen utensils and furniture. The type of the dowry is constantly changing except for the basic，symbolic items. For example，in 1980s，a sewing machine, a bicycle，and a recorder were musts in a marriage. Now, they are totally out of fashion.
婚礼进行前一天，新娘的嫁妆要被送到新郎家。有时候嫁妆还要新郎的陪护。传统嫁妆通常会包括一些值钱的物品，比如珠宝、刺绣的床上用品、厨具和家具。除了一些基本的有象征意义的物品，嫁妆的种类一直在不断变化。比如在上世纪80年代，嫁妆必须包括缝纫机、自行车和录音机。现在，这些都过时了。
Unlike Western tradition，the colour red dominates traditional Chinese weddings. Chinese people tend to use or wear red to add a joyful atmosphere to such a festive occasion.，
和西方传统不同，中国传统的婚礼以红色为主。中国人往往用红色或穿上红衣服来增加喜庆的气氛。
At dawn on the wedding day, the bride puts on new dothes, wears a pair of red shoes and waits for the so called "good luck woman" to dress her hair in the style of a married woman. Her head would be covered with a red silk veil with tassels or bead strings that hang from the phoenix crown. She waits for her future husband to escort her home, with married women talking around her about how to be a good wife.
在婚礼当天的清晨，新娘会穿上新妆，头戴凤冠，脚穿红婚鞋，等待喜婆为她盘头。盘好后，就用有穗子或珠串的红盖头蒙头等待自己未来的丈夫来迎娶，她的周围会有已婚妇女告诉怎样做个好妻子。
On the other hand，the bridegroom prepares himself to receive his wife. He gets dressed in a long gown，red shoes and a red silk sash with a silk ball on his chest. The groom kneels at the ancestral altar as his father puts a cap decorated with cypress leaves on his head to declare his adulthood and his family responsibilitier.
与此同时，新郎也在准备迎亲。他穿上长袍和红鞋子，胸前别上一个红绣球，然后跪在宗庙的供案前，由他的父亲为他戴上有柏枝装饰的新郎帽，并宣布他已成家立业。
Then the bridegroom sets out to receive his bride. Usually a crowd of friends escorts the bridegroom and musicians play joyful tunes during the entire trip.
准备停当，新郎就出发迎娶新娘。通常会有一群朋友陪伴在新郎左右，还有乐师一路上不停地演奏婚乐。
The most interesting part of the reception really takes place at the doorstep of the bride's residence，which is heavily guarded by the bridesmaid or the bride's sisters. It is customary for the bridesmaid to give the bridegroom a difficult time before he is allowed to enter. Usually wisdom，courage and his friends will help the bridegroom to succeed in his "trial".However, there is one more situation he has to negotiate with the bridesmaid and sisters of the bride-to distribute among them red packets containing money-in order to take his bride home.
迎亲最有意思的一段发生在新娘家的门前。新娘家的门通常都由伴娘或新娘的姐妹们把守。根据风俗，她们只有对新郎百般刁难之后，才能放新郎进门。新郎通常需要借助自己的智慧、勇气和朋友的帮助才能通过这种“试炼”，然而，为了把新娘带回家，还有一件事他要跟伴娘和新娘的姐妹们协商:给她们发红包的数量。
Before the bride departs to the bridegroom's home，the“good luck woman" will lead her to the sedan chair. On her way to the chair, one of her sisters will shield her with a red parasol，while another sister will throw rice at the sedan chair. At the back of the sedan hang a sieve and metallic mirror that are believed to protect the bride from evil. The bride has to cry to show that she does not want to leave her parents.
在新郎离开新娘家之前，有喜婆把新娘领到轿子上，在此过程中由新娘的一位姐妹用红伞遮住新娘，另一个姐妹向轿子内撒米。轿子的背后会挂上一个筛子和一面金属镜子，人们认为它们可以避邪。新娘必须要哭，以此向人们表明她不想离开自己的父母。
Then firecrackers will be set off to drive away evil spirits as the bride sits into the sedan chair. All along the way people make great efforts to avoid any inauspicious influence. For instance，the sedan chair is heavily curtained to prevent the bride from seeing an unlucky sight(e. g. a widow, a well or even a cat). When the parading troop arrives at the bridegroom's，firecrackers will be set off to hail the bride's arrival. Before the sedan chair a red mat is placed so that the bride will not touch the bare earth. By the threshold，a flaming stove and saddle will be set up and the bride is required to sidestep or step over them to avoid evils.
新娘坐上轿子后，会燃放鞭炮驱赶邪灵。一路上人们都会竭力避免不好的影响。例如，轿子四面都用帘子遮蔽，以避免新娘看到什么不祥的景象(柳树、井、甚至是猫)。迎亲队伍到达新郎家时，会燃放鞭炮欢迎新娘的到来。轿前会放上一个红色的垫子，不让新娘接触到土地。门槛前会放置一个燃着的炉子和鞍座，新娘要从旁边绕过去，或者从上面跨过去。
The bride and bridegroom are then led to an altar, where the couple kowtows to Heaven and Earth，the family ancestors and parents successively. They then Afterwards, a grand feast is held for relatives and those who helped with the wedding. The newlyweds will resume drinking wedding wine. Generally they are required to cross their arms to sip wine. They also will toast their guests. Guests voice their good wishes for the couple.
然后新郎和新娘会被领到一个香案前，拜天地，拜祖宗和父母，夫妻交拜。之后会进人洞房。整个过程会有人指导提示，观众会报以掌声。此后会举行一个盛大的宴会招待亲朋好友。新婚夫妇会喝交杯酒。喝完后也会向客人敬酒。客人们会表示对新人的良好祝愿。
After night falls, the teasing games start. Usually all young men can participate except for the bride's married brothers-in-laws. These funny and silly games help ease the tension，since in ancient times the newlyweds never met each other before the wedding!Most of the games require the shy couple to ad like wife and husband. The festive atmosphere also promotes closeness among all the family members and the community beyond. There also will be other activities conducted by the bridegroom's mother after the roaring laughter fades into the darkness.
夜幕降临时，除新郎已婚兄弟之外的年轻人通常都会去闹洞房。他们会玩些非常有趣或者愚蠢的游戏来帮助新婚夫妇消除紧张，要知道在古代新婚夫妇在婚礼之前是没有见过面的!游戏大多都会要求羞涩的新郎和新娘表现得像夫妻。喜庆的气氛会增进所有家庭成员以及社区间的亲密关系。
Traditionally，the newlyweds are to return to visit the bride's parents one or three days after the wedding. They will be hailed with a banquet and it is the bridegroom's turn to suffer the well-intentioned teasing of the bride's relatives and friends.
按照传统，新婚夫妇在婚礼后的第三天要“回门”:回到新娘家。新娘父母会设宴招待，此时就轮到新郎受新娘亲友的善意的愚弄了。
Traditional marriage customs lost their popularity due to the collapse of the feudal arranged marriage and its complexity. However, traditional marriage can still be seen in the countryside，despite innovations. Now, traditional marriage customs are being revived in some places and they are attracting many prospective couples.
由于封建的包办婚姻已经瓦解，传统婚姻的习俗非常复杂，传统婚姻已经不受欢迎。然而在农村依然能看到它的踪影，当然也做了一些创新。如今有些地方，传统婚姻又开始流行起来，吸引着越来越多的要结婚的年轻人。
