Why old China custom requires brides to bring ‘toilet’ or chamber pot for wedding ceremony

An old Han Chinese wedding custom mandates that the bride brings her own “toilet,” typically filled with red eggs, red dates, and peanuts, which symbolise fertility and abundant blessings. Traditionally linked to filth and unpleasant odours, the chamber pot may seem an unlikely addition to a bride’s dowry. Nevertheless, in many regions of China, particularly rural areas, it was once deemed a standard and essential item for a bride to carry to her new home. Beyond its practical function as a...