Wedding Customs in Taiwan

In Taiwan, there is a diversity of wedding ceremonies varying with nationalities and cultural backgrounds, but in general, all wedding ceremonies are either traditional or modern.

Traditional wedding ceremonies are still influential in Taiwan, because most Taiwanese are descendants of migrants from Fujian, Guangdong and other places of Chinese mainland. In the development and construction of Taiwan, the ancestors firmly preserved cultural customs they had brought from their hometowns to Taiwan, and passed the customs down from generation to generation. Classic activities of a traditional wedding ceremony include presenting betrothal gifts, sitting in a bridal sedan chair, worshipping Heaven and Earth, paying obeisance to parents and to each other, and teasing the newlywed in the wedding night. Although the newlywed are dressed in a western style, the wedding ceremony is absolutely Chinese from presenting candies, lighting cigarettes, serving tea to collecting lucky money.

Nowadays, a lot of young people choose to get married in a modern style. A modern wedding ceremony is a combination of joy and happiness with bridal veil, fireworks, groom and bride, and a number of guests.

Besides, there are many collective wedding ceremonies in Taiwan. A lot of young couples, whether from Taipei, Taichung or Tainan, choose to participate in a collective wedding ceremony where people share common wishes for a bright future.

Speaking of wedding customs in Taiwan, the wedding ceremony of Gaoshan nationality has to be mentioned. It has full-bodied ethnic flavors just like other ethnic minorities of China. Distinctive wedding customs of Gaoshan nationality include crying at wedding, marriage by kidnapping, and carrying the bride on the groom’s back of Taromak people, swinging before marriage of Paiwan people, the groom escaping from the marriage of Amis people, and planting a pine tree at the wedding day of Saisiat people, etc.