Historically Chinese brides were shielded from their future husbands until the ceremony with a middle man cementing the rather lengthy engagement. The parents of the prospective couple controlled the negotiations. Once a man found a woman he wanted to marry, the go-between would present gifts to the girl's parents. The auspicious nature of the match based on their birth date and hours would be reviewed as choosing a lucky time and date of the wedding ceremony. More recently my Chinese friends in Malaysia go through so many pre-wedding rituals - one that's the most fun, friends and family shielding the bride-to-be from her future groom. In some cases he is made to climb over the roof of her home, answer impossible questions from the girls and do incredible tasks before being allowed to be united with his fiance!
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