Two gourds tied together with red cord stand on a red cloth, beside them lie a plate of spiced sliced meat, a handful of red dates and a few chestnuts, and several feast dishes and a steamer of buns stand behind.
The wedding feast
Introduction
The feasts and foods of engagements and weddings.
Wedding feasts cover the banquets and foods of engagements and weddings. The Li ji, in the Hun Yi, records that when the bride arrives the groom bows her in, the couple share the sacrificial meat and sip from the nuptial cups, and the bride brings dates, chestnuts and dried spiced meat to meet her parents-in-law. The Song book Dong Jing Meng Hua Lu records betrothal gifts, the visit to the bride's family, scattering over the bed and the joining of hair, and the Meng Liang Lu records betrothal gifts, three-day gifts and the cup-exchange rite. The format of the banquet belongs to Family and Village Banquets, and sweets belong to Candies and Preserved Fruit.