After the wedding ceremony, the newlyweds serve tea. They also serve it by hoding the teacup with both hands firmly on the cup. They then invite the groom's elders to drink the tea. They have to address them by their formal title. For example, first uncle or first aunt.
The person being served will sit in chairs as the newlyweds will kneel. The woman will be on the left side and the man on the right. When the newlyweds serve the tea to the groom's parents, the bride will kneel in front of her father-in-law. The groom kneels in front of his mother. They also serve the tea in order. They begin with the groom's parents. They move on to older family members to the youngest.
In return for this ceremony, the newly wed couple receive lucky red envelopes. These are called lai see. This means lucky. They are stuffed with money or jewelry. The helpers, are usually women blessed with a happy marriage or wealth. They are chosen by a fortune teller or the bride's mother. They also receive lucky red envelopes filled with money from those being served. These envelopes are placed on the platter which holds the teacups.
Today, there are over 1,500 types of tea to choose from. This is because over 25 countries cultivate tea as a plantation crop. China is one of the main producers of tea, and it remains China's national drink. With a ceremony like that placed around it, there is no wonder at why it has maintained in the country and moved to others.
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