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Marriage is a lifelong commitment. Everyone hopes their wedding will be a joyous occasion, capturing beautiful and unforgettable memories. However, for the groom in the following story, this was not the case.
'Bride Escort Challenge' is one of the wedding customs in China. In this tradition, the bride sets challenges for the groom and his groomsmen to complete. Failure to do so means they cannot escort the bride.
Each region has its own unique customs, but there are cases where the challenges become overly elaborate, causing difficulties for the groom and disrupting the wedding procession.
Recently, a video surfaced on social media showing a groom in China facing challenging tasks set by the bride's family, garnering attention online.
On the wedding day, the groom and his groomsmen happily arrived at the bride's house to carry out the important ritual. However, their expectations were shattered when they encountered unexpected challenges presented by the bride's family.
The tiers of stairs leading to the bride's house were adorned with a red carpet and lined with two rows of bricks. At this point, the groom could sense that the journey to fetch his bride was going to be challenging.
The bride's family demanded that the groom kneel on the rows of bricks and, simultaneously, exert force with his knees to break them. Each step had two pieces of brick, requiring the groom to kneel and exert enough force to break them all to qualify for escorting the bride.
Upon hearing the bride's family's challenging request, the groom felt furious, sensing that his in-laws were not allowing him to shine on this auspicious day. Kneeling in front of many people, becoming a laughingstock, was something the groom could not accept.
Despite his dissatisfaction, partly out of not wanting to escalate the situation and partly out of fear of prolonging the ordeal, the groom agreed to compromise.
The groom knelt on two pillows atop the bricks but couldn't manage to break them. Encouraged by the crowd, he gritted his teeth, enduring the pain to exert more force. Eventually, the bricks broke. The groom's knees were so sore he could barely stand, his legs trembling uncontrollably, requiring assistance from others.
The journey to fetch the bride was successful, but that day likely became a 'memorable' moment for the groom.
After the video clip was posted on social media, netizens criticized the bride's family for being 'unfair,' making it difficult for the future son-in-law.
'The groom's stature is already so big, why impose such difficult challenges? Isn't the bride's family a bit too harsh!'
'A little fun is fine, but excessive playfulness isn't enjoyable. Every custom or tradition has its limits. Making things difficult for others like this becomes a taboo that society condemns.'
'Playing playful challenges without any enjoyment! Although it's known that some challenges are meant to make the groom appreciate his bride more, excessive demands like these backfire.'
(Source: 163)
