Honggaitou Explained

C:	红盖头
P:	Hónggàitou
L:	Red cover head
Lang1:	English
Lang1 Content:	Red veil
Piccap:	A Chinese bride wearing to cover her face and a red wedding cheongsam.

A , also shortened to ^[1] and referred to as red veil in English,^[2] is a traditional red-coloured bridal veil worn by the Han Chinese brides to cover their faces on their wedding ceremony before their wedding night. The is worn along with a red wedding dress.^[3] Veils have been used in China since the Han dynasty.^[4] The custom of wearing the for wedding ceremonies can be traced back to the Song dynasty period. The custom of wearing the, along with the traditional red wedding dress, continues to be practiced in modern-day China. However, under the influence of Western culture and globalization, most Chinese brides nowadays wear white wedding dresses and a white veil, an imitation of Western Christian weddings,^[5] instead of the red wedding dresses and .^[6]

Cultural significance and symbolism

In Chinese culture, the colour red symbolizes good luck, happiness, joy, and celebration. The colour white, which is used in Western Christian weddings, symbolizes death in Chinese culture rather than holiness and purity. The colour white used to be avoided in Chinese weddings in the past.

Cultural practice

According to tradition, the groom would fetch his bride at her home in a palanquin on the morning of their wedding day. Before the arrival of the groom, the bride would place the over her head to cover her face. When they arrived at the groom's home, they would perform the wedding ceremonies and rituals (including the Heaven and Earth worship, etc.). When the bride was brought to the wedding room, but just before entering the room, the groom would use a stick to remove her and throw it on the roof while never looking at her face. It was only after the bride entered the room and returned for the that the groom and the wedding guests would see her face for the first time.

History

During the Song dynasty, Chinese women from the middle and upper classes wore the at their wedding ceremonies.

Construction and design

The is a square of red fabric.

See also

• Cheongsam
• – Phoenix coronet
• Hanfu
• Hanfu headgear
• Mili (veil)
  • Veil

Notes and References

1. Cohen . Myron L. . 1998 . North China Rural Families. Changes during the Communist Era . Études chinoises . 17 . 1 . 59–154 . 10.3406/etchi.1998.1267 . 0755-5857.
2. Book: Lu, Jie . China's Literary and Cultural Scenes at the Turn of the 21st Century. . 2013 . Taylor and Francis . 978-1-317-96974-7 . Hoboken . 870591843.
3. Book: Perkins, Dorothy . Encyclopedia of China : History and Culture. . 2013 . Taylor and Francis . 978-1-135-93562-7 . Hoboken . 869091722.
4. Book: Zhu . Ruixi . A social history of middle-period China: the Song, Liao, Western Xia and Jin dynasties . 朱瑞熙 . 2016 . Bangwei Zhang. Fusheng Liu. Chongbang Cai. Zengyu Wang. Peter Ditmanson. Bang Qian Zhu . 978-1-107-16786-5 . Updated . Cambridge University Press. Cambridge, United Kingdom . 953576345.
5. Book: Cao, Nanlai . Constructing China's Jerusalem : Christians, power, and place in contemporary Wenzhou . 2011 . Stanford University Press . 978-0-8047-7642-4 . Stanford, Calif. . 714569448.
6. Book: Long, Yi . Proceedings of the 2018 International Workshop on Education Reform and Social Sciences (ERSS 2018) . Cultural Differences between Chinese and American Weddings . 2019 . en . Atlantis Press . 300 . 634–640 . 10.2991/erss-18.2019.126 . 978-94-6252-664-8. 166851183 . free .