ASIAN CULTURE

We can afford huge 200-300 guests weddings because everyone gives money, no gifts. Usually at the end of the night of the wedding we are either break-even or in profit. So the guests pay for the wedding in the end. I had 220 guests at mine, and married at 19.

We went travelling around Thailand for a few months and we were there during Songkran which is new year! They close everything down and have huge water fights in the streets with music and dancing. It was amazing!

We have a 40 day “confinement” period PP and MIL, sisters, Mum, helps out w housework and meals for like 6w and all mum needs to do is eat sleep rest and feed the baby, that is all that’s expected of her post partum. She passes baby on for others to burp, change diaper and put to bed. So she can heal and establish milk supply and get enough rest and nurture herself and the baby.

Im sure this is already a widely known thing but I thought it was really cool, I volunteered to help with my kid’s kindergarten classroom when the kids were learning about the lunar new year and one of the Asian moms told us about the watermelon carving and she had brought in some super intricately carved ones with flowers and stuff and then said when you cut it open with family after the festivities if it’s red and juicy inside it’s a sign of good luck for the new year 💞

I was looking for the option in my head “my name is Asia”

@Emilie yeah all the shops except food are closed for the whole 10 days of CNY since we celebrate for 10 days. The water fight is new to me though, but that would’ve been extra fun! It’s hot there so a water fight would cool everyone down haha. Last time I went Thailand we got to ride some elephants and fed them sugar cane

I love The 40 day pp tradition In the U.S. folks be popping right back up doing and chores and shit day one and I’m like oooh baby rest resttttt

@Asia awwww. Option 5 hunni Xx

@Kellie so when I was talking to some Thai friends we made there it started as a tradition of using small bowls of water to was used the wash the misfortunes of the previous year away. You’d just do a small splash. But it’s grown over the years to a full scale water fight! It wa so fun

So this US Asian mum didn’t have the village to do it so she hired a doula to do it for her. Take note, “no water” means no cold water. We only eat and drink warm things to facilitate uterous healing a lot of people took it as “no water at all”. https://www.instagram.com/reel/C_ZgsKKJIz4/?igsh=dDFwYXB0ZWlxNmRl

@Kellie yessssss these customs are cross cultural too! I live for postpartum traditions

@Emilie this tradition has phased out but the Japanese, in Japan most houses in the country (not city) -stand alone houses w garden- have like a lil water fountain out front and everyone washes their hands before they greet the house owner and comes in. A sign of respect and cleanliness, I think.

I teach Chinese kids English as a Second Language. Some of them actually live in China, some of them live here in the US or divide their time between the US and China. I love when they'll share little tidbits about their lives (or when they show me their pets...I love when they show me their pets 😂) definitely makes me want to visit someday! The majority of my students who live in China live in Beijing, though I've had one in Shanghai!

@Autumn yeah we only decorate red for CNY in like lanterns and stuff. Even the firecrackers are red, lucky color for sure Xx Mum gives me a box of cherries for CNY every year to bless my household and also, it’s cherry season 😂🙈

My aunts are from Vietnam and live by the never visit empty handed rule. They land and go to the store and buy a ton of fruit which my daughter and I love lol

Don’t know this trend honestly lol. But, my husband and I visited our in-laws that are living in Japan right now for my MILs career. It was amazing! My husband and I definitely want to live there for at least a year if we can.

@Brooklyn I would LOVE to go to Japan my friends have been and they said it’s so $ to visit 😭 Offy did a post about European culture

@Kellie the plane ticket is definitely pricy, I was blessed with my in-laws, they’re super great people and paid for our tickets 😭🙏 when we went last august, an American dollar went pretty far there so we were also lucky with that lol

@Kellie option 5 ✔️ I was lucky enough to have an amazing acupuncturist from China who specialized in fertility while I was pregnant. Her dad started teaching her acupuncture when she was 7. She’s now in her 50s. She was my Chinese medicine guide during pregnancy and one of the big things was no cold beverages.

@Brooklyn lucky girl 😉 was the place big enough for you to stay w them as well? It’s usually very cramped unless it’s rural

@Kellie the company my MIL works for put them up in a really nice apartment. They don’t live in a really big city, and I guess it would be considered more rural. The apartment has three bedrooms, a kitchen and living room (really tiny tbh) and then a vanity, and an entire room that’s just a shower. I think it’s called a wet room. That was for sure my favorite part 😂 and the toilet was in its own room completely away from the shower and vanity, which I thought was nice lol

I’ve been to Beijing, Macau , Guangzhou, Shang hai and Hong Kong and our long time nanny who has been with us for nearly 4 years is from Burma her hubs is Chinese we’re very close they share things with us from time to time about their culture she’s Buddhist💕💕

We have a 40 day confinement post birth too, only hot food and drinks. Socks on all the time. Get massages, have family members doing household chores, food etc. They say the better your recovery in these 40 days dictates how healthy you will be for the next 40 years. Huge weddings are the norm I had 500 in mine and 400 in the reception which was considered small but having 1000people is very normal. We have a few events and outfits, customary gifts for all the close family. We wear henna and the darker the henna comes out it can mean two things “your husband is gonna be in love with you” or “You’re gonna have a good MIL” When it’s a birthday the birthday person cuts the cake and feeds everyone in the room. I thought this was the norm but it’s a south Asian thing 😅 Never go outside with wet hair or you’ll get ill. Never step over someone because that means they’ll never grow. If I remember anymore I’ll add them in 🤣

Also where we live now (Qatar) there is a massive population of people from the Philippines and honestly I don’t think I’ve ever met nicer, kinder people. They are just gorgeous people inside and out! 🇵🇭

@Emilie I completely agree! I was actually thinking the other day about how I have never met a rude Filipino and I’ve known and met plenty.

I’ve only been to Malaysia in southeast Asia and I loved it, people were nice and respectful. I plan on visiting many other Asian countries.

I love the idea of the 40 days, I think there’s often such a fuss over pregnant women then once the baby’s born the focus is all on them. Can you go out if you want to or is it frowned upon if you do? I enjoyed getting out in the early days so would like a bit of both!

I’ve only been to Thailand but absolutely loved the street food culture there. Fresh, delicious, cheap & on most corners! I’ve had nicer street food there than from plenty of restaurants.

@Rallii you’re Indian and speak Punjabi? The henna one is ultra cool I’ve never heard of that one. Indian weddings are HUGE they’re even bigger than Viet/Thai/Cambo weddings are I thought that was big! I’ve seen Indian weddings with like 10 bridesmaids and 10 groomsmen that’s hectic! But omg super fun! I think Indian and Greek and Spanish weddings were the most fun most loudest I’ve been to and I live for it 😍🤪 My closest friend speaks Punjabi and she has an online sari shop they are gorgeous 😍

Lml my family friends are Lao, My aunt is Lao. But I don’t know a lot of Lao traditions bc they are Lao Christians . But I did celebrate their New Year with them.

@Kellie I’m Pakistani 🇵🇰 I speak Urdu and Pahari (a dialect of Punjabi). The weddings are huge, if they’re not everyone will say you’re broke 🤣 it’s always dress to impress, wear your best clothes, makeup, jewellery, no such thing as upstaging the bride. It’s a huge insult to go in plain clothes, means you’re not happy about the union. Pakistani fashion is different to Indian, maybe I can notice and tell the difference more but we don’t typically wear saris. We also get our fiancée’s/ husband name written on our hands with the henna design and then get him to find it which is a cute tradition.

Oh another tradition for anyone who’s reading. Our “engagement” ceremony is more of a tea/blessing ceremony, we wear traditional outfits, and we kneel down and offer tea to all sets of Gparents/parents and they drink the tea to accept and bless our marriage, then they offer the bride jewellery or any heirlooms so she gets a bunch of jewellery on that day too. Then we put out incense and fruits for Buddha ask him to bless our marriage from above then we eat a whole roasted pig and chat and party and play cards until late night😂 that’s our “engagement”.