Wedding Feasts · FFET10337
Wedding sweets
Sweets handed to guests at a wedding feast, now often in a small gift box that may also hold snacks.
The feasts and foods of engagements and weddings.
Wedding sweets are candies given to guests at a wedding feast, to eat there or take home, and nowadays they often come in a small gift box. Candy was scarce in the rationing years, so wedding sweets were a rare treat; in 2026, boxes may hold spicy strips, jerky, quail eggs, drip coffee or even a scratch card. By tradition, eating them is believed to bring the couple blessings.
What
Xi tang are candies given to guests at a wedding feast, to eat there or take home, and today they are often put in a small gift box.1,2
When
They are handed out at the wedding feast; no start date was found. Wedding customs recorded in the Song texts Dongjing meng hua lu and Meng liang lu include fruit, grain, beans and coins scattered at the gate, honey-and-oil steamed cakes sent 3 days later, and tea cakes, fruit and round reunion cakes among gifts between the two families, but neither text mentions sweets for guests. Candy was scarce in the rationing years, so wedding sweets were a rare treat.1,2,3,4
Where
The material reviewed describes wedding sweets as a general Chinese practice; no regional differences were identified.1
How
The couple hand out boxed sweets to guests. Recent boxes may hold, besides candy, spicy strips, jerky, quail eggs, drip coffee or even a scratch card.1,2
Why
Sharing sweets spreads the couple's joy. By tradition, eating them is believed to bless the couple, and leftovers should be handed out.1,2
Impact and influence
The contents of wedding candy boxes keep changing with taste, with young couples choosing more personal items, because goods are now plentiful and people want a personal touch.1
No tale about this food has been found.