Red Envelopes

My time in Taiwan is going by so fast. I’m having such a great time once again.

This last weekend, I had the great opportunity of going to a Chinese wedding. The groom used to work for ORTV so I tagged along with Debbie and her mom.

The actual wedding wasn’t anything special, aside from a wedding. It was all in Chinese, minus the prayer given by Doris. The bride’s dress was especially long but I hear most of the time they are even longer. It was interesting yet I didn’t understand more than a few words. I was fortunate enough to not have to sit through too long of a wedding. Apparently Chinese weddings usually last for a lot longer then this one did.

Immediately following the ceremony, different groups were called up to take pictures. I was in a big picture with other ORTV staff members. I felt uncomfortable because I didn’t know the bride or the groom yet I was going to be in some of their wedding pictures. But I belong to the ORTV family so I’m a friend.

Following the wedding, there was a two-hour gap in time before the banquet. We grabbed a snack but didn’t want to eat too much because we were soon going to have an eleven-course meal! With the rest of our time we visited Debbie's grandma in the hospital. Then it was off to the banquet.


The wedding banquet was at one of the nicest hotels in Taipei called The Grand Formosa. The banquet was in a large open room and was decorated with balloons and a
lot of tables. There were far more people at the banquet then there were at the wedding. Everyone that attends brings a red envelope with money in it. Traditionally, money is put in the envelope as the wedding gift. These same type of red envelopes are used for Chinese New Year and other special occasions in the Chinese culture. The red is a symbol for good luck (and to ward off evil spirits). An eleven-course meal may sound expensive, and it is, but the money in the red envelopes is supposed to cover the cost of the attendees and then some more as a sign of goodwill for the married coupled.

With the meal, we enjoyed a glass of red wine and an everlasting supply of fruity juice. Each dish was served on a small white plate. Every table had their own server who was responsible for serving the dishes and clearing the plates when we had finished the course. We started out with lobster and jellyfish. My favorite dish was the scallops. It was also my first time to have shark fin soup. During the banquet, the bride changes dresses about four times as part of the tradition. I don’t fully understand why. Overall it was just a great experience. I wasn’t even full until dish 10! And that was my Chinese wedding experience. :)