People of the Naxi ethnic minority in Northwest Yunnan called the engagement "sending wine" and their betrothal gifts included a bottle of wine, two tins of tea, four or six boxes of candy and two liters of rice.
Tea also plays an important role when a party is sent to escort the bride to the groom's house or to the formal wedding ceremony. Although some people still use tea as a gift for the couple, tea plays a bigger role in other aspects: the rites of drinking tea from nuptial cups by the bridegroom and bride, all friends and relatives drinking tea together to indicate future harmony, and the bride and groom proposing a tea toast to their parents and elders to express their gratitude, etc. For instance, for the Bai people of the Dali area in Yunnan Province, on the second day after the wedding, the couple must first propose a tea toast and wine to the elders in the morning. Then, they pay a visit to their parents and ancestors before the reunion feast.
While most ethnic groups in China love tea and although wedding ceremonies across China vary greatly from place to place, tea is a vital component to the custom. The above-cited examples are just a taste of how the nation's tea culture is associated with marriage ceremonies.
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