CHINESE WEDDING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27058, 18 April 1949, Page 4

CHINESE WEDDING

CEREMONY IN DUNEDIN ATTRACTIVE BRIDAL GROUP GREAT PUBLIC INTEREST The intriguing spectacle of a “ foreign ” wedding taking place in their midst was afforded hundreds of Dunedin people who filled First Church and thronged its entrance on Easter Saturday afternoon. It was the marriage ceremony of Wei-Hing Virginia, eldest daughter of Mr and Mrs Hugh Sew Hoy, of Dunedin, and Wah Young Wong, of Balclutha, that attracted such marked attention—a marriage ceremony that followed the lines of a European service but vet was quaintly different. When the demure and nervous bride and her attendants arrived at the church shortly after 4 o’clock, they had to make their way through a deep avenue of people wno displayed an avid but friendly interest in the bridal party. Their keen gaze was well rewarded, for the bride looked exotically lovely in her rich satin gown and graceful, flowing train. She was obviously a little awed by the occasion, but that, was only natural for a Chinese girl who had been only two years in the country and was facing the searching scrutiny of. women who were almost foreigners to her.

The eyes of the crowd turned eventually from the bride to her two sisters, who were like pink cherry blossoms beside the magnolia flower that was the bride. Two tiny flower girls in blue almost “ stole the scene.’’ Their jet-black hair curled and wreathed in flowers, their bright, rouged cheeks and their sparkling eyes combined to captivate the onlookers. They looked so important and so self-possessed—and so very, very quaint. Family Reunion Recalled ,

Inside the church, the guests— Chinese and Europeans in almost equal numbers—had been courteously escorted to their places by young Chinese ushers. They had seen the 22-year-old bridegroom and his two attendants take their place at the altar —a youthful trio, immaculate in dark suits. They had seen the officiating minister, the Rev. Dr G. H. McNeur, make his way to the altar, and when the organ burst forth into “ Here Comes the Bride,” they turned their heads as much as convention permitted to catch sight of the bridal party. The bride’s footsteps faltered a little as she made her way to the altar, and she welcomed her father’s assistance. Soon the service began. It was a conventional beginning to a European marriage, and then the minister’s voice changed to the Chinese language. The vows were given in English and the traditional ceremonial was carried out. The cooing of a Chinese infant, the minister’s use of a foreign language and the rows of Oriental faces in the congregation were the only differences from a European service.

Although little emotion showed on the faces of Mr and Mrs Sew Hoy, it must have been a momentous occasion for them. It was more than the marriage of their eldest daughter. It was just over two years ago that the family had been re-united in Dunedin. At the beginning of the war Mr Sew Hoy resided in Dunedin, and for years he had had anxiously to await news of his wife and family, who had become refugees in China when the Japanese invaded their land. Only through the fortitude of Mrs Sew Hoy had the reunion in Dunedin been made possible. The wedding of their 20-year-old daughter in the city of their adoption must have had a special significance for them. The crowd outside the church when the wedding party left was even greater than when the bride arrived. In fact, after the customary photographs had been taken and confetti liberally sprinkled on the bride and groom, the bridal group had the utmost difficulty in reaching the waiting taxis. A smaller crowd was present outside the Concert Chamber to watch the guests arrive for the reception. Lavish Wedding Breakfast Silken Chinese lanterns hung from the ceiling of the Concert Chamber, and on the decorated stage the fourtier wedding cake and a be-flowered roast pig made a distinctive centrepiece. The official party was seated on the stage, and rows of tables filled the entire floor of the hall. Each guest was escorted to a place at table, and each place had its card. There was a programme for every guest, printed in both Chinese and English. After the arrival of the bridal party, both the English and Chinese National Anthems were sung, and grace was said by Dr McNeur. The wedding breakfast itself was on European lines, with cold poultry, pork and ham, hot peas and potatoes, fruit salad, trifle, Jelly and ice cream. Mr Douglas Ngaan was an efficient toast-master, and he made his announcements fii’st in Chinese and then in English. The toast of the bride and groom was proposed by the Mayor, Sir Donald Cameron, who wished the couple all future happiness, and referred to the high regard in which the Chinese community was held by Dunedin people. The bridegroom replied, and also proposed the toast of the bridesmaids. This was responded to by the best man. The wedding cake was then cut by Mr and Mrs Wong.

After a brief speech by Mr William Wong, on behalf of the Otago and Southland branch of the Chinese' Association, telegrams of congratulations were read by the best man. These included messages from the Prime Minister. Mr Fraser, the Minister of Finance. Mr Nash, the Chinese Consul in New Zealand, and cablegrams from as far afield as Hongkong, San Francisco, and Suva. The toast to the bride's parents was proposed by Mr R. Walls. M.P., and responded to by Mr Sew Hoy, and that of the bridegroom’s uncle, and aunt by Dr G. H. McNeur. The bridegroom's widowed mother lives in China, and the bridegroom’s uncle responded on behalf of the Wong family. After the reception, a dance was held in the Concert Chamber, bringing to a close an occasion that was memorable to both Chinese and European guests.