Picture discussion

This picture shows the setting of the living room of a house. There are four formally dressed grown-ups in this picture, two of them are seated on the sofa which is placed against one side of the walls in the living room, while the other two are standing in front of them.

The lady who is standing next to the gentleman is wearing a floor-length, white-colored gown and has a sash pinned on her head. The gentleman standing beside the lady is wearing a black suit, and from his skin color, he is probably a Caucasian. From the way the two of them are dressed, I can infer that they are a couple, and this picture is taken on their wedding day. From the face expression of the bride, I can tell that she is feeling exuberant, maybe because she feels that her dream of being with her true love has finally came. The bridegroom is closing his eyes while serving the lady who is seating on the sofa a cup of tea. The act of him closing his eyes shows that he respects the lady seated.

The serving of tea on the wedding day is a part of the Chinese traditional wedding custom which starts many years ago, which involves the serving of tea from the newly weds to their parents. This custom is said to bring harmony between the parents of both sides and the couple.

On the other side of the picture, the lady who is receiving the cup of tea from the hands of the bridegroom, is dressed in a formal red shirt with traditional symbols printed on it. From the face of the lady, I can infer that she is not as young as the bride, she is probably the parent of the bride. From her face expression, I can also tell that she is delightful that the bride and bridegroom can finally be married to each other. The other man who is seated beside her is holding on to a cup. Maybe he has already received his, and now it is the lady’s turn to receive hers. The four people in this picture look elated on this auspicious day.

As this picture has suggest, a mix of two culture wedding is being held on that day. The bride and bridegroom are dressed in the clothing of a western wedding, yet are performing one part of the Chinese traditional wedding custom. This picture is not only taken for a memorable moment, but also shows the harmony and unity between two different cultures.