Thread: Chinese county bans wedding guests from 'egging' grooms and tying them to trees

Images of grooms tied to poles and doused with beer are common on Chinese social media.

The Chinese tradition of wedding hazing, which can include humiliating and sometimes violent pranks, has been banned by several county authorities in China who slammed the practice as a "sign of declining morality".

Key points:

• The hazing tradition known as hunnao dates back thousands of years and was originally intended to ward off evil spirits
• A Shen county notice also warned against "indecent role playing"
• Videos posted on social media show unhappy newlyweds being doused with flour and cream

Stripping grooms and tying them to trees or telephone poles, as well as egging and pouring beer, sauce and other food items onto the happy couple, are now punishable offences according to a WeChat post on Sunday by authorities in Shen county in the Eastern province of Shandong.

Nearby Rizhao county also recently announced a crackdown on the practice, and in December, the Ministry of Civil Affairs urged local governments to regulate "vulgar" wedding customs including lavish weddings, costly betrothal gifts and hazing.


The Chinese Government called for an end to "vulgar" wedding customs in December

The hazing tradition — known as "hunnao" in Chinese — dates back thousands of years and was originally intended to ward off evil spirits.
While the custom often amounts to no more than playful jokes, in rural areas of China, guests have been known to take the practice to extreme levels that on occasion have resulted in serious injury.

Here