MetaChat is an informal place for MeFites to touch base and post, discuss and
chatter about topics that may not belong on MetaFilter. Questions? Check the FAQ. Please note: This is important.
09 February 2022
Chinese new year faux pas I posted recently about how my wife avoided a Chinese new year faux pas. Someone at University of Toronto was not as lucky.
My daughter-in-law is Chinese. As part of the wedding decorations we hung up decorations with Chinese characters. My son's fiance (at the time) explained they meant "Double Happiness" which I took to mean that with the two of them together, they would be twice as happy. A nice thought.
At the wedding reception, my son's new father-in-law explained (through a friend who spoke both Chinese and English) that in the context of a wedding, Double Happiness means that when someone toasts the groom, the person proposing the toast drinks once, but the groom has to drink twice! Double Happiness!
That was the most extensive conversation I've had with my daughter-in-law's father.