prep talk

We have seen Ms. Jullie Yap Daza's two-hour special about the Year of the Dog over at RPN days before the Chinese New Year. Her special guest was master Joseph Chau, resident feng shui master of the Mandarin Oriental. He said that this year is generally a good year to get married. That's good news for all soon-to-weds in the year 2006!

In recent years, we have observed that more and more Filipinos are starting to take notice of feng shui despite our Catholic/Christian upbringing. Some argues that there is no harm in subscribing to it in the hope for a better life. We can totally relate. Since one of us is of Chinese heritage, we, as a couple, have resorted to feng shui before making major family decisions while never forgetting to thank God for all the blessings that come by or seek His help in hardtimes. Ironic as it may sound, that's how we are. Despite our different backgrounds, we learned not just to respect each other's beliefs and be assimilated into each other's way of doing things.

As proof, one recent project we have undertaken which we are very proud of is preparing the mini-guidebook called "My Little KanChiu Book" for marrying Chinese-Filipino. KanChiu means wedding or marriage in Fookien, the Chinese dialect that most Tsinoys use. Coming out with this little red book involved a lot of research since most of the rituals vary from family to family depending on which part of China their ancestors came from. Luckily, we were able to seek the invaluable assistance of people in-the-know since we realized right from the start our limitations on the subject.

Auspicious Dates

One of the topics we've tackled in the book is the "Kwa Dit Tsi" or choosing a good date for the wedding. What constitutes a 'good' date is based on the Chinese horoscope of each soon-to-wed. A date is considered inauspicious if the date 'clashes' with the lunar birth sign of either the bride or groom.

We have prepared here a list of auspicious dates for weddings this year. But before referring to the list below, we have to issue a disclaimer that the 'good' dates indicated are meant as general guide only. Although these dates are based on the Chinese Almanac and appeared on the list from at least three different sources, we do not claim that we have the final say on the matter. We advise couples who value feng shui to consult with a professional and trusted feng shui master by giving each of their birthdates and exact birth time (sometimes even birth information of the parents from both sides) for a more accurate analysis.

The weekend dates are usually the more popular ones for obvious reasons. If you are considering holding the wedding on an auspicious weekend, take note that church and reception slots are usually filled early on. Aside from that, wedding vendors are likewise very likely to be booked on such dates so you may want to inquire and reserve their services as soon as you have decided on a date. Kiong hee!

Personal Greetings

Belated Kung Hei Fat Choi greetings to our "Binondo" friends: Ajing Tan, Grace Co, Michelle Cochanco, Yvonne Tan, and especially Morning Li who bought for us a Chinese Almanac in Ongpin an hour's notice just so we could verify the auspicious dates we've enumerated above. We also acknowledge the help of our achi Boon who provided us with her own list despite the rush.

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prep talkback: Send comments and queries to P.O. Box 233, Greenhills, San Juan City 1502 or email: mail@WeddingsAtWork.com.

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