Page 392 - Chinese Porcelain Vol II, Galland

KEEN-LUNG.
416
charcoal, into the house, and is joined by the bridegroom, who
conducts her to a seat, and in sitting down tries to sit on some
of her as an omen that she will be submissive,
portion clothing
but sometimes the bride manages to get some part of his dress
under her so as to show she is not going to give up a proper
"
After this the of the
independence. ceremony worshipping
"
tablets is the table being set out with two candle-
performed,
sticks with large lighted candles and a censer with lighted
incense between them, the two cups with the red cord, two
miniature cocks made of white sugar (see p. 89), five kinds of
dried fruit, a bundle of chop sticks, a foot measure, a mirror,
a pair of shears, and a case containing money-scales. Some or
all of these are on a made out of the
frequently placed tray
wood of the willow tree. At certain signals both kneel down
their heads the then
four times, bowing to earth. They
and bow four times as before this
change places again ; is
"
called heaven and earth." then turn round,
worshipping They
and in like manner worship the ancestral tablets, which they
then face, after which they face each other and kneel again
four times. One of the female assistants then takes the two
wine and which she from one
goblets containing honey, pours
to the other several times, thereafter holding one to the mouth
of the groom and the other to the mouth of the bride, and
the the Bits of the
repeats operation, changing cups. sugar
cocks are handed to each, with some of the dried
perhaps
fruit. The bride, along with the candles, is then accompanied
to her room where the veil is removed, after which she joins
her husband, who then for the first time sees her face, and
this is the scene in No. 717. then
probably represented They
sit down to their first meal is that the
together ; but the rule
bride must eat on her After this the
nothing wedding-day.
bride holds a reception, to which sometimes the public are
admitted, and she must be careful not to show any annoyance
should the remarks made on her not be
appearance flattering.
The candles in the bride's room are to burn all night
supposed ;
if one or both out the
goes it is a bad omen, foretelling
untimely death of one or both ; on the other hand, if the
candles burn out about the same time, it indicates that
the will have the same of life, and the
couple length longer
the candles burn, the will the live. The candles
longer couple