Footage showing a bride pinned to the ground by a group of men then sprayed in the face with foam in a traditional 'hazing' ceremony has sparked anger.
The degrading scene was filmed at a wedding in a rural compound near Linyi, in the eastern Chinese province of Shandong.
Guests are seen gathered in a courtyard to watch, before a number of men force the bride to the ground then climb on top of her to form a pyramid.
One guest tries to stop them, but is laughed off by the men. They also spray foam all over the bride's head and face.
Several men then forcibly hold the bride - who is wearing a traditional red dress - and the groom's heads and make them pay their respects to each other.
The video was edited and released by the BTimes and later shared on Weibo, where it received around 13,000 comments.
One person wrote: “Most vulgar weddings occur in the countryside, and there is no way to ban them. The only way is to encourage more and more boys and girls to leave the mountains and countryside and move into the big cities.”
Another said: “How can a husband put up with this? These people are real cultural dross. When will it ever stop?”
According to South China Morning Post, local media reported that the incident had been brought to the attention of the authorities in the area.
It said government officials had communicated with the village about the incident and hoped to “promote a change of customs and reject bad weddings.”
'Hazing' - called naohun in Chinese - is a custom that dates back to the Han Dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD) and was originally used as a fun way to help couples get familiar with each other at time when arranged weddings were the norm.
It was not, apparently, supposed to humiliate the couple.
But in recent years complaints have been made over a number violent 'hazing' rituals that have been degrading and sometimes caused injuries to the bride and grooms.
With the emergence of technology, videos of the practice have been circulated around the world, leading to numerous criticisms.
In one video, a groom was reportedly set on fire after firecrackers were taped to his body and in another a groom was severely hurt after his head hit the pavement when guests tried to toss him up and down.
In 2020, in Shandong province, a groom was dragged out of a car on the way to pick up his bride and smeared with soy sauce, vinegar and raw chicken eggs. He then fell into a roadside ditch. Police removed
In recent years, wedding hazing with sexual innuendo and even sexual harassment in some areas have repeatedly drawn the attention of social media, especially when men are seen hugging and even kissing the bride.
In 2020, also in Shandong province, a groom was dragged out of a car on his way to pick up the bride and smeared with soy sauce, vinegar and raw chicken eggs. The groom then fell into a roadside ditch. Some guests were subsequently taken away by police, South China Morning Post reports.
There have also been a number of sexual harrassment reports, where men hug and kiss the bride.
The 'hazing' rituals tend to happen in more traditional, rural communities.
