Life Stages
Lucky money
| PLACE | Kowloon |
| DATE | 1969-07 |
| OBSERVATIONS | The father of the bride had died many years before, and here her mother gives out lucky money (lai-si) to the newly married couple. The lai-si is always in a red envelope, giving rise to its other name - hung-baau ‘red packet’. Red being the auspicious colour it is everywhere to be seen at weddings, the bride wearing a red dress, the groom having a red sash over his shoulder (or at the very least a red favour in his lapel), and all decorations, congratulatory messages, gift wraps and so on being red too. For the bride this is known as “the greatest event of her life” (jung san daai si). |