AS the world wakens from the bleak harshness of winter and once more fills with warmth and new life, love and the union of couples seems to permeate the landscape. A multitude of different species can be seen hunting for new partners, courting prospective mates, or re-affirming bonds with old companions, and the human race is no exception.

In many cultures, spring is considered an auspicious season in which to marry, as the renewal and arrival of life within the natural world provides a favourable backdrop against which many couples chose to begin their new lives together.

Wedding ceremonies, and their celebratory banquets, are often steeped in tradition and local culture, and thus they allow the foreign visitors lucky enough to be invited a glimpse into the private lives, beliefs and customs of the people amongst whom they live or travel.

Extravagant receptions

Nowadays, within China, many weddings are a combination of traditional and Western cultures. For example, red is the traditional colour of the Chinese bride (a colour symbolizing good fortune and good luck), and whilst many brides will display a red gown as one of their bridal outfits, it is becoming increasingly common for them to also exhibit a Western-style white dress at some point during the big day.

A Chinese wedding is normally split into two parts. The first part is the official process and includes the issuing of the marriage certificate showing that the couple is now legally married. This ceremony involves mostly close relatives and is not considered to be a high-profile event. Later on, however, a lavish banquet is thrown, attended by large numbers of friends and family. This feast is the highlight of a Chinese wedding, and is viewed by many people as the true wedding.

For the foreign guest, despite the occasional similarities, these extravagant wedding receptions are a very different experience from their Western counterparts. For one thing, they are much less formal - a fact which has resulted in many an over-dressed foreigner sitting uncomfortably in a room full of casually attired party-goers. In the West, suits and formal dresses are de rigueur at weddings, and it would be considered an insult to the happy couple if a guest turned up in more casual dress. Indeed, attendees at these events will often have spent weeks choosing their outfits and preparing their hair and make-up. A wedding reception is seen as a chance to dress up and feel glamorous, a far cry from China where it is common for only the wedding party to be clothed in formal-wear, while their guests relax in more informal attire.

Another striking aspect of a Chinese wedding is the amount of time the bride and the rest of the wedding party spend away from their table and food. Following a communal toast, which signals the start of the meal, the majority of the gathering will settle down to eat, while the wedding party set off to visit every table, and drink with its occupants. This allows each guest the chance to express their congratulations and drink with the happy couple and their families, while ensuring the bride and groom are able to greet and acknowledge all those who have come to join the celebration. In the West, however, a few communal toasts suffice, and many guests will have little chance to greet the newly-weds until much later.

Embarrassing tricks

As in the West, in China speeches are often made prior to or during the meal. In the former culture, these speeches are generally introduced by one of the guests or a waiter, and given at the table of the speaker. In China, however, it is common for an MC to officiate - introducing each speaker, holding the microphone and generally conducting the show. Speeches often take place on a raised stage at the front, and this area also acts as the setting for many of the jokes and tricks played on the new couple. These tricks are intended to force the groom to publicly demonstrate his love for his new wife, but to many Western eyes they add a bizarre air to the celebration. In the majority of Western cultures, tricks and jokes are played on the bride and groom separately at small parties held prior to the big day. On the wedding day itself, it would be considered unfair and cruel to blight their celebrations by causing embarrassment. In China, however, this is all part of the fun, and much hilarity generally ensues as the groom is forced to sing a song of love to his blushing bride, publicly kiss her for a specified length of time, or even drink beer from a shoe ripped off her foot!

Symbolic food

Food is something found at all wedding receptions, however here again we find differences between the cultures. The dishes present at a Chinese wedding banquet are full of a symbolism not found in their Western counterparts. A traditional Chinese feast will include dishes such as fish, pigeon, chicken cooked in red oil, and dessert buns with lotus seeds stuffed inside. Each of these dishes symbolizes a hope or wish for the young couple, for example, pigeon represents hope for a peaceful future, while lotus seeds symbolize fertility. In contrast, few of the courses presented in the West are intended to represent anything other than the tastes of the wedding party, and often the specific talents of the chef.

Perhaps the biggest difference most visitors observe is the relatively short nature of the Chinese reception. In Western celebrations it is not unusual for guests to still be drinking and dancing well into the early hours of the morning, long after the meal has finished. In contrast, Chinese receptions generally finish much earlier, and guests will begin to depart as soon as the meal is over.

Ultimately, however, whatever the differences in tradition and custom, in cultures all over the world the primary objectives remain the same. The wedding and wedding celebration are intended to join the couple and their two families together and provide the chance to celebrate this unification in the presence of family and friends. Whether Chinese or Western, traditional or modern, lavish or small, a wedding provides the opportunity for two people to formally acknowledge their love for each other, and symbolizes the start of their journey through life together.