Sibu Tales : 3 kneels and 9 bows

The Foochows of Sibu continue to practise many of the wedding rituals of Fujian. Today 115 or so years later, (since 1901) , one can still say that the legacy of the Foochows lives on.



One of the wedding rituals is the 3 kneels and 9 bows which the bride and groom must give to their elders ,and especially the grandparents (if they had passed on) before the bride groom takes the bride away.

the best man (or one of the more capable elders) will do the honours of announcing the ceremony. A list of names would normally be written down.

The bowing and kneeling would also mean that the elders must have in the pockets or handbags a small token of cash, for some of the very close elders, the gifts can be in the form of gold items.

However many have discarded the bowing and kneeling and instead they "borrow" the tea ceremony from Hong Kong.

Traditions and rituals do change with time.