Arrival at the Groom’s House - 过门 Guo Men

In the past, once the procession reached the groom’s house, firecrackers will be set-off to frighten away evil spirits again. And a red mat/carpet was placed before the sedan chair for the bride to dismount. The bride was required to step over a lit charcoal stove before entering the house. However, avoid having her clothing catch fire! The act of stepping over fire is meant to “cleanse” her which literally means to
burn away evil influence and ward-off back-luck.

Like the western counter-part, after the rituals are completed, the groom could finally raise the red scarf to view the bride’s face for the tea ceremony.

In modern day, especially the Cantonese dialect group may still practise crossing over the lighted charcoal stove. Nowadays, the red umbrella may still be used to usher the bride from the car to the house.

Related : Traditional Chinese Wedding Procedures
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