Rediscovering Eden
Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth
Would care to know my name
Would care to feel my hurt
Who am I, that the bright and morning Star
Would choose to light the way
For my ever wandering heart
Not because of who I am
But because of what You've done
Not because of what I've done
But because of who You are
I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
A vapor in the wind
Still You hear me when I'm calling
Lord, You catch me when I'm falling
And You've told me who I am
I am Yours, I am Yours
Who Am I, that the eyes that see my sin
Would look on me with love
and watch me rise again
Who Am I, that the voice that calmed the sea
Would call out through the rain
And calm the storm in me
Whom shall I fear
Whom shall I fear
I am Yours
dailies
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
My first PRC Wedding!
-5:52 PM
Last Saturday, PJ,XQ and I went for a PRC wedding! PJ’s friend-the bride, was getting married. I was really excited as I’ve always wanted to attend a PRC wedding and see how different is it from those held in Singapore!
The hotel the wedding was held at.
Difference No.1: This is the stage! A relative simple stage made just for the wedding. In Spore, we normally have proper stages provided by the hotel ballrooms and the stages are higher and er, more stable.
I like the redness and all when I first stepped into the ballroom. No, its not terrifying red which scares everyone away,its a shade of red which reflects vibrancy and passion. I like.
On the table we were at. We were happy cos our table was right infront, to the right of the stage.
Difference No.2: They served cigarettes as one of the dishes and it was there THROUGHOUT the entire ceremony! and yes, there were people smoking.
The carpet.
I tried a tiny sip of the red wine. Taste is not as sweet as some others I’ve drank before but it is strong, I can smell it some distance away.
Carrying the bride up as a declaration of his love for her. The guy said something all 3 of us thought was really sweet: 无论发生什么事，无论….我都永远爱你，陪伴在你身边。Melts*. Cliche but sweet.
The guy holding the microphone on the left is the solemniser.
Difference No.3: Realise that the people here,most of them, dress erm, rather casually for such a important event.
Anyway, the red small book the solemniser is holding, is the marriage certificate. Looks like a passport to me though!
Difference No.4: The jiao bei jiu. In Spore, the couple will criss-cross each other’s arm to drink. In this wedding, the arm of one person has to be wrapped around the neck of the other before the drinking takes place.
Couldn’t resist taking this shot: A policeman smoking. Yes, no rule ever said that the police cannot smoke but..it bad for their image right? At least it is, to me.
Difference No.5:There was a bubble producing machine on the stage and kids went near the edge of the stage, even ONTO the stage itself and started jumping around. No parents held their kids back, they allowed the kids to crowd around the different areas of the stage and even allowed them to play on the stage when the bride and the groom were both on the stage. Appalled*.
Difference No.6: The Tea Ceremony. Its not done in Traditional Chinese Attire and it isn’t done with the elders seating on chairs and the bride and groom kneeling on the ground. In fact,ROM, tea ceremony and dinner are not separated but are combined one event,normally lunch at a hotel as in this wedding! Also, only parents of the bridge and groom are served tea.
Check out the kids, surrounding everything on stage. Argh! Where are the parents? Anyway, the couple are lighting candles, a custom which signifies their love. And on the right, the couple are pouring champagne into a pyramid of glasses,something normally done in Singapore too. EXCEPT: Difference No.7: We don’t have kids on the stage; Important people each have a glass and they go on stage to take photos with the bride and groom. In Beijing, the people just came and took a glass if they wanted and wandered away. There were even glasses of champagne left behind.
Difference No.8: Where’s the wedding cake?
A really really sweet gesture.
Difference No.9: Not that Singapore Men aren’t sweet, but this groom got on his knees to put the wedding ring on for his bride. And to get his, he had to do a series of drill (he works in the police force as a policeman) which ended with a salute to her before he got the ring. Cute*.
Difference No.10 : 一拜天地，二拜高堂，夫妻对拜…. No,they didn’t use this line but they bowed to each other and to the guests anyway.
There were 15-20 dishes in total, so many I lost count! Food was all right and there was even a dish with Thai chilli! Yummy! The not so good part about the hotel was that before a dish is finished, the waiters will transfer the food onto a smaller plate or take away the plate altogether. Hence the eating was kind of rush, with us hurrying to pile on our plate which ever food that came. I don’t like to rush while eating esp when its a wedding.
Change of attire. Their 2nd and last outfit. They went around every table toasting and getting drunk, esp the groom(prob had to take a few for his wife?). People also went around toasting one another.
The pretty bridesmaid.
Difference No.11: She doesn’t have make-up on her and she is wearing a very simple dress. BUT, shes really pretty!
I’ve no idea what this is called but its like a wo wo tou dipped into Milkmaid and its super duper duper YUMMY! Love it!
Playing around.
:D.
Pretty Mosiac.
Zi Lian. :P
Conclusion: Weddings held over here are really different. For weddings in China, we normally light fire-crackers and some even have an entourage with cool motorbikes and bikers. It wasn’t obvious from the pictures but the dresses here are normally beige or pale yellow, this wedding , the bride was wearing a white gown. I’m impressed cos I was starting to think that Beijing is too dusty for gowns to be kept white. Plus most people rent gowns and hence, the yellowy colour. EEEEEks. THe dresses here however have fabric and design that kind of makes the dress look like a tablecloth. Some improvement needed though they have the can-can thingy to make the dress puff up.
Really glad to have attended this, at least I’ve attended an authentic Chinese wedding once in my life. :)
