Wedding boxing is a traditional wedding custom passed down from ancient China, representing parents' good wishes for their daughters' future life. Wedding boxing has specific requirements for the color, timing, items, personnel, method, and taboos of the box.
1、 The etiquette of packing wedding boxes
1. Box color
Marriage is a joyous occasion, and red or pink boxes are suitable for creating a festive atmosphere. It is advisable to avoid choosing cool colors such as black or gray. It is also best for the items inside the box to be predominantly red.
2. Packing time
There are two types of wedding boxes, one is the large box for dowry, and the other is the small red box that the bride carries with her. The dowry box should be packed one day before the wedding, containing the bride's dowry; The Little Red Box can be used for morning outfits on the day of the wedding, containing jewelry, cosmetics, and close fitting clothing for the bride.
3. Packing items
Wedding packing items are usually given as gifts by the bride's parents, relatives, and friends. In the old days, they gave candy and fried peanuts. Now, they usually give bedding, offspring buckets, red basins, SHOES, socks, jewelry and other gifts that symbolize beauty. If you don't know what to give, you can also give gifts directly.
4. Packing personnel
The people who pack the wedding box are usually relatives of the bride, usually parents or elders such as uncles, aunts, etc. They can also find siblings of the same age. If there are not many relatives, they can also ask their best friends to help.
5. Packing method
When packing, the bride's brother needs to bring the dowry to the front of the box, and then the bride's parents or other female relatives can add the items to the box. Try to fill the box as much as possible, symbolizing 'completeness'. If there are not many items, you can put some large dowry items such as clothing and bedding, and it is best not to bring empty boxes when getting married.
6. Packing taboos
When packing, some items should be avoided from being placed, otherwise they may have negative connotations. For example, mirrors cannot be placed as they are fragile and have the meaning of 'broken mirrors are difficult to round'; Cannot put a clock, representing 'farewell' and inauspicious. Please note that all items in the dowry box must be in even numbers.
2、 What's in the wedding box
1. Box money
Also known as personal money, cash or credit cards are mostly used. Before getting married, the bride's parents will put some money in the four corners or center of the dowry box to show the groom that their daughter is the apple of their family's eye and that their family is not helpless. This money can be used by the daughter for emergency purposes in the future, representing the parents' love and blessings for their children.
2. Precious jewelry
Due to the inconvenience of transporting large items into the dowry box, valuable jewelry was used instead. The three golds or hardware purchased by the groom, as well as jewelry purchased or treasured by the parents, must be placed in the dowry box, symbolizing the inheritance of beautiful items to the daughter. It is best to arrange a dedicated person to take care of the dowry box on the day of the wedding to prevent valuable items from being lost.
3. Daily necessities
The female party needs to pack personal clothing, wedding DRESSes, toothpaste, towels and other daily necessities in the box, symbolizing that the daughter is getting married and needs to move the daily necessities to the male party's house. In addition, as many brides choose to stay in hotels before their wedding, it is more convenient to bring their daily necessities.
4. Son and Son Bucket
The meaning of the 'descendant bucket' is to carry on the family line and have multiple descendants. In the past, the descendants' bucket contained a large barrel, a foot basin, and a pole scale. However, due to the inconvenience of transportation, handicrafts were used instead. The items were wrapped in red cloth and filled with red dates, longan, longevity fruit, lilies, chopsticks, cypress branches, etc., wishing the newlyweds an early and precious child.
5. Oil, salt, sauce, vinegar
Placing kitchen seasonings in the dowry box is to let the groom know that his daughter is capable and virtuous, capable of managing the household with diligence and frugality. Suggesting that the groom's family should cherish the bride and not bully or harm her, hoping that the two can be together and grow old together.