Chongqing - every national day holiday has lots of people to hold their wedding ceremony, and I was invited to attend 3 ceremonies this holiday, which is not a lot compared to other friends I know. In China, there is a tradition that guests will give Hongbao (the red envelope) to couples who host the wedding when entering their wedding venue, the cash inside the Hongbao usually took me ￥500-2000 every wedding, the closest friend has a higher amount of cash. The double festivals (mid-autumn and national day) this year has an 8-day holiday, which means we have more wedding to attend. Moreover, some will call the invitation "red bomb" as there is a red envelope you need to prepare. You may ask, why a red envelope but not a gift? I would say that because cash is the simplest gift you could prepare.
one netizen shares on social media (WeChat) shows he attends a wedding every day on holiday
As the saying “Gold for September and Silver for October” goes in the wedding market, September and October became the most popular months to held a wedding for the nice weather, and most guests’ schedules are available during the National Day to celebrate together. Therefore, some netizens complaint online because most of their salary gone for Hongbao, and their schedule were full of weddings during this holiday.
My friends (age 25-30) showed their holiday plans, most schedules were: wedding, wedding, wedding, blind date dinner (arrangement by parents), family dinner, dinner for classmates... Most of them complain that this month’s salary was all arranged for these reasons (with a fake smile). Some netizens said that they feel the whole world is getting married and organizing the wedding, and only the single people were giving Hongbao silently.
wedding stage (from my friend's wedding)
XinhuaNet’s survey data shows that the young generation was given the amount of Hongbao as following:
500 yuan to 1,000 yuan accounted for 32.5%
1000 yuan to 2000 yuan accounted for 23.1%
2,000 yuan to 5,000 yuan accounted for 13.3%
So, if you need to attend a wedding in China, will you send a Hongbao? How much will you give in your Hongbao? Here is a tip. According to Chongqing local forum Shopholic’s discussion and final suggestion:
the better the relationship, the more you give, the weaker the relationship, the less you give. Usually, as an ordinary relationship such as colleague or friend, the amount is about ￥300, if the couple is your best friend or closer relationship, the amount could go up to ￥800-2000, if the couple is your classmate, the amount is about ￥500-1000，if one of the couples is your close relative, the amount could go up high to ￥1000-2000, some elder will give ￥5000.
This is just a usual prediction of this tradition, how much you give is all depends on your ability. Hongbao is just a way to send family and friends’ love and blessing for their big day. The point is we also enjoy the wedding and the party time to celebrate together.