CHINESE WEDDING

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 34, 10 February 1933, Page 11

CHINESE WEDDING

QUAINT RITUAL OBSERVED

The quaint ritual of the Cantonese was curiously- intermingled with, the procedure or" the Presbyterian Church when a Chinese wedding.took place on Wednesday in the church of the Auckland Chinese Presbyterian Mission, Cook street, states the "New Zealand Herald."

Intense interest was aroused by tho ceremony, the small church being crowded, mostly by women, although' in the front rows there was a representative assembly of Chinese. Everybody was welcome, however, and the Eev. Y. S. Chau, the officiating minister, made a point of expressing the appreciation of the Chinese community that sach interest should be taken.

Convejjtional music was played by the organist when the bride, Miss Kona Gwendoline Sai Louie, was led to the altar, where the bridegroom, Mr. Ng' Wai Poi, of Parnell, was waiting. The Hev.-J. A. Thomson, of St. Luke's Church, Kemucra, and the Key. W. Mawson, missioned to the Chinese, were on the platform.

At the instruction of the minister the congregation rose to bow before tho Chinese national flag as a prelude to the actual ceremony, the order to stand for this observance being given both in English and Cantonese. Hymns were then sung, the-books being in Chinese and English. It was noticeable that several Chinese especially well acquainted with English shared hymn books with European members of the congregation.

Then followed the signing of the register, but it was not the end of the ceremony by any means. Mr. W. Choy, representing the Kuo Mm Tang, offered the congratulations of that organisation, the Chinese Nationalist Party, and the father of the bridegroom, Mr. Ng' Fong Kee, supported by the minister, addressed words of exhortation to the newly-married couple. In the meantime the bride and bridegroom bowed with due courtesy to their parents, and also to the congregation. Lastly, they bowed to each other.