Bill Belew has raised 2 bi-cultural kids, now 34 and 30. And he and his wife are now parenting a 3rd, Mia, who is 8.

Lovers to tie the knot

Chinese wedding traditions are really interesting and go from the proposal to post-wedding rituals.

1. The proposal begins when a go-between person presents gifts from the boy’s parents to the girl’s parents and starts a negotiation.

After negotiations and extensive bargaining, the two families agree on an amount of money and goods that should be given as a gift to the girl’s family.

2. Preparation for the wedding starts with the retreating of the girl to the Cock Loft. This is a period of time where the bride-to-be lives in seclusion with her

closest friends.

The boy’s family installs the Bridal Bed the day before the wedding with a series of traditional rituals.

On the wedding day or the night before, the bride is bathed, dressed in new underclothes and her hair styled as a married woman.

At the same time the groom is dressed in a long gown, red shoes and after kneeling at the family altar starts the procession to obtain the bride.

Upon the bride’s arrival at the groom’s house, the groom can finally raise the red scarf and view the bride’s face and they are ready to start the wedding ceremony.

What are your country’s wedding traditions?

Talk to Bill and others about their experiences raising bi-cultural Japanese-American kids.