No money, no wife: China villagers block groom's car to demand wedding ang baos

Was a test of determination or daylight robbery?

A groom in China was recently blocked by 100 elderly villagers demanding money and gifts before they would allow him to pick up his bride, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported.

The incident took place in a village in Jiangsu on Oct 20.

According to the tradition lan men (blocking the door), the groom's entourage are supposed to give  whatever elderly villagers ask for, which can range from cigarettes to red packets.

And if the villagers are not satisfied with the offerings, they would continue to prevent the groom from seeing the bride, delaying the wedding as a result.

Although it was intended as a test of the groom's resolve to marry his beloved, many saw it as a form of extortion.

"If there are many people there, the groom's family just put one yuan (S$0.20) into each red packet. If there are not so many people, they will put 10 yuan in the red packet," a wedding planner from the village told SCMP.

The wedding planner added: “It is old people who had lan men on their wedding day when they were young who are trying to keep the custom going."

A video of the wedding created a buzz online, and received a barrage of comments.

"What a vicious custom. It's obviously robbery," wrote a netizen. Another said: "This custom will deter young people from getting married."

However, some found no issues with the tradition. A netizen said: "It won't cost much. A red packet containing one yuan is fine."

"The point is to have a big crowd to create a lively atmosphere. If few people come to join the lan men event, it implies that the groom's family don't get along well with others in the community," they added. 

ALSO READ: 'It's too scary': Men in China spray bridesmaids with fire extinguishers in wedding prank

ashwini.balan@asiaone.com