2025 Guiyang Confucius Academy Chinese Wedding Ceremony
To celebrate the Qixi Festival, under the theme "Lifelong Love, Joyful Reunion at Xishan," the 2025 (Year of Yi Si) Confucius Academy "Chinese Wedding" New Era Civilization Practice Ceremony (abbreviated as 2025 Guiyang Confucius Academy Chinese Wedding Ceremony ) was officially staged in Guiyang in Southwest China's Guizhou Province.
2025 Guiyang Confucius Academy Chinese Wedding Ceremony
Eighteen couples dressed in traditional marriage attire from Guizhou, Sichuan, Beijing, Shandong and Jiangxi in China as well as Vietnam, held hands and exchanged wedding vows in front of the statue of the Great Sage Confucius. They completed the most solemn ceremony of their lives with ancient rituals such as entering the wedding hall together, walking on the nuptial mat and crossing the saddle, performing formal bows and drinking the nuptial cup.
On the day marking the Qixi Festival, after the "golden metallic sound" rang three times, a wedding ceremony combining ancient Chinese rituals and Guizhou's local customs began.
The dancers, with their flowing robes, gracefully set the stage with music and dance accompanied by an ensemble of ancient Chinese musical instruments. After the session of "betrothal gifts presenting and returning", the newlyweds followed the ancient ritual of "tidying up clothes and straightening hats," with their parents smoothing the clothes and adjusting the headdresses. Amid the deep, resonant chanting of the wedding officiat, the couples stepped into the Etiquette Square, carrying together red silk balls. In a most symbolic session called "walking on the nuptial mat and crossing the saddle," the couples walked on the red carpet and crossed the saddle, while the wedding conductor proclaimed "peace." They then washed their hands with a bronze ewer, reviving the traditional ritual of "presenting a bronze ewer to wash hands in a bronze plate."
2025 Guiyang Confucius Academy Chinese Wedding Ceremony
2025 Guiyang Confucius Academy Chinese Wedding Ceremony
The most important part of a Chinese wedding ceremony, "Performing formal bows and drinking the nuptial cup" followed. Facing the Dacheng Hall, the couples "made a first bow to heaven and earth to show respect for their nurturing, made a second bow to the parents to express gratitude for their kindness, and finally bowed to each other as husband and wife, promising to share both joys and sorrows forever. They then drank from the nuptial cups as a symbol of this eternal commitment. Next, each groom untied the red ribbons in the bride's hair and enveloped a lock of hair in a brocade pouch, vividly symbolizing the ancient oath of "As husband and wife, we are forever united; we never doubt our love."
2025 Guiyang Confucius Academy Chinese Wedding Ceremony
The ritual session called "newlyweds jointly signing the wedding certificates" consisted in the newlyweds solemnly writing their names and affixing seals on the wedding certificates to symbolize their eternal union of hearts.
One of the brides taking part to the ceremony was Nguyen Thi Yen Ly from Vietnam. She had met her Mr. Right in Guiyang as an international student. Spouses from different nations had the opportunity to experience the traditional Chinese wedding ceremony at the Confucius Academy, a venue steeped in Chinese charm. Nguyen Thi Yen Ly said, "I used to watch Chinese TV dramas in Vietnam. I really like Chinese culture, especially the Chinese wedding ceremony. Now I am so happy to have experienced a Chinese wedding firsthand." Another lucky bride, Li Yuanfang, a fan of the Confucius Academy, shared how she felt greatly honored to take part in the traditional wedding ceremony, "I hope that the Confucius Academy can keep passing down China's excellent traditional culture one event at a time."
This year the Confucius Academy specially designed a dual-themed cultural feast of "wedding customs and Qixi Festival." The newlyweds and guests enjoyed immersive experiences dedicated to the Six Arts.
In the wedding customs art exhibition zone, Qian (Guizhou) embroidery met wedding traditions. Here, intangible cultural heritage inheritors showcased their unique skills, reproducing Miao legends in warp and weft.
Visitors also enjoyed a cultural and culinary tour, sampling Guizhou's Duyun Maojian Tea and Zunyihong Black Tea, tasting the "Love Tofu" (baked tofu stuffed with chili and fish mint) originating from the Ming Dynasty 600 years ago, Guizhou-style wedding cakes, and the "Xinghui Coffee" beverage. Yangming cultural and creative products were also available for visitors to purchase on site.
