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[1] A fascinating wedding ritual among one of China’s ethnic minority groups involves brides wearing sunglasses on their wedding day. The accessory hides their tears as they bid farewell to their families. The Bai community’s name means white in Chinese. They originally referred to themselves as Baipzix because of their strong preference for white, which they hold in high esteem.
[2] In 1956, they were officially recognised by the Chinese government as the Bai ethnic group. Today, they primarily live in the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan province in southwestern China. They have a population of about 2 million as of 2020.
[3] Bai weddings are grand and lively. For example, before a daughter gets married, her mother feeds her using twelve pairs of chopsticks in rotation. The first bite the daughter takes must be spat into her left hand. Then, from the second bite onwards, she can begin swallowing. She can continue this ritual until she is full.
[4] Before arriving at the groom’s home, a Bai bride traditionally wears sunglasses. The practice dates back more than 100 years. It comes from the “crying marriage” tradition, kujia in Chinese, where the bride is expected to shed tears as she bids farewell to her parents in a symbolic act of filial piety.
[5] A bride’s eyes become red and swollen from crying. The sunglasses are worn in public to conceal this. It is unclear whether the sunglasses used on the wedding day are passed down within families.
[6] Beyond the requirement to conceal emotional distress, a Bai bride must also endure physical discomfort. A subsequent ritual is known as “pinching the bride”. When the bride arrives at the groom’s house, friends, relatives and even children compete to pinch the new bride, sometimes until her skin turns red or even bruises. This ritual is seen as a deep form of blessing for the couple.
[7] Throughout this ritual, the bride is expected to remain composed and endure the pinching, no matter how painful it becomes. If she cries out in pain, it is believed that the blessings are useless. If she is only lightly pinched, it may suggest weaker ties or less enthusiastic blessings between the two families. That said, the ritual is all in good fun, similar to modern bridal party pranks, and is generally carried out within acceptable boundaries.
Source: South China Morning Post, October 12
