The Chinese tea ceremony is a deeply significant tradition, symbolizing respect, gratitude, and family bonds. It remains one of the most meaningful rituals in a Chinese wedding. During this ceremony, the bride and groom serve tea to both families, marking the heartfelt union of two families into one.

The tea ceremony likely emerged during the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD) and became more formalized in the Song Dynasty (960–1279 AD), where it began to be incorporated into wedding customs.

During the Chinese wedding tea ceremony tradition, the couple kneels or bows in front of their elder family members and serves them tea as a sign of respect and gratitude for all the years of love and nurture. The family responds by giving gifts to showcase their acceptance, goodwill and support to the newlyweds as they begin their marriage as husband and wife. This Chinese wedding tradition indicates the formal introduction of the bride and groom into a new, extended family. Every component of the ceremony itself, from the ingredients used for the tea itself to the decoration colours, are specifically designed to celebrate the marriage and represent additional wishes of fortune and blessings of fertility to the couple.

Date and location: The Chinese wedding tea ceremony is hosted either on an auspicious date before the wedding or on the wedding date itself. If it is on the wedding date, it can be held before the wedding ceremony or in the time between the wedding and the banquet. It is typical for the groom’s side of the family to go before the bride’s side but it all depends on the preference of the families. The newlyweds can choose to have it at their respective homes, as per tradition, or opt to have it in hotels for convenience.

Tea: The ingredients for the tea are chosen purposefully to signify a sweet, loyal, and happy marriage and to promote fertility. In the past, people used either lotus seed and red date tea or longan and red date tea since these ingredients bring good luck through the special connotations of these ingredients. Nowadays, there is less emphasis on the specific type of tea as long as it is not a diet tea as that can indicate a lack of prosperity in the forthcoming marriage. Families usually choose either green tea, pu’er, tieguanyin or jasmine tea and may also add lotus seeds and red dates to the tea.

Lotus seed: The lotus seed represents an innocent and true love since the lotus flower grows in the mud but is not stained by it. It is also used as a blessing and hope for multiple children as the Chinese character for lotus seed is also linked to the word ‘succession’ and ‘children’.

Longan fruit: The longan is similar to the lotus seed in that it symbolizes heirs. The Chinese character for the ingredient can also be used to mean ‘precious’.

Red Dates: Red dates are used to epitomize sweetness in the marriage. The words for red dates are also similar to the words within a customary saying for all newly married Chinese couples that wishes them to have a child as soon as possible.

Tea sets: Choosing the tea set is also important for this Chinese ceremony tradition. It should not be white or have the character ‘longevity’ as it is associated with funerals. The base colour of the tea set should be either red or gold. The tea sets also cannot portray only a single dragon or phoenix as they must come in a pair to represent a blissful union.

Outfits: The groom wears either a traditional mandarin suit or a western suit with a red silk tie and red handkerchief while the bride usually wears a red traditional kwankwa, qipao, or cheongsam style dress with a mandarin collar with images of a dragon and a phoenix.

Tea Selection: Avoid using weight-loss teas, as they symbolize a reduction in blessings. Common choices include Pu-erh, jasmine, Tieguanyin, and oolong tea.

Pouring Tea: Do not fill the cup to the brim. The saying “seven parts tea, eight parts wine” indicates that tea should not be overly full in ceremonial settings.

Serving with Respect: Always use both hands to present the teacup to elders, showing respect and reverence.

Handling Hot Tea: If you are concerned about the tea being too hot, consider using teacups with “ears” (handles) or cups placed on a tea tray for easier handling.