It comes as no surprise that lavish wedding receptions simply do not come cheap. Which is why in the case of Chinese weddings, it is often customary for guests who attend to provide a small token by means of an angpow (red packet), as a gesture of goodwill and prosperity to the newlyweds, while helping to alleviate some of the cost from the reception itself.
Newly-minted groom puts wedding guest on blast for RM20 angpow
However in the case of one newly-minted groom, he didn’t appear to take too kindly to an angpow that he had received from a guest that attended his wedding reception, after finding out the amount that was enclosed within. As reported by local newspaper China Press, the anonymous man decided to take to social media to air his grouses.
“Brother, you attended a wedding reception in Bukit Bintang and only gave RM20 angpow?”
“Please don’t joke around. Did you know that a single table at a wedding reception can cost upwards of RM150 now? Do you want us to wind up incurring huge losses? If you’re going to come, you should know that the going-rate these days is around RM150! That’s even before GST!” he exclaimed.
Ranting further, he said that even if the guest decided to increase the amount to RM50, they would still have to compensate for the amount incurred.
“Giving angpows during weddings is part of our Chinese tradition for hundreds of years!
You can call us realistic, but if we aren’t realistic, then what should we be talking about? Sentiments? Can I take your sentiment and give it to the manager, in exchange for you eating for free? Do you think hiring dancers doesn’t cost money? Or magicians? Or singers?”
Trying to share the joy, or earn a little extra income?
The man adds that while the angpow was not inscribed with a name, they managed to figure out who the guest was. What’s more, he asked if the shoe was on the other foot and the guest was hosting a wedding, would they be happy to accept a measly RM20 angpow.
He also said that if they did not want to give an angpow, they could have substituted it with a new electrical appliance instead.
“You can finish RM20 by buying one drink at Starbucks! If I was really calculative, receiving only RM20 in angpow, I would have asked you to leave after the shark fin course was completed. And you finished everything, down to the red bean dessert!
You claim it wasn’t intentional, but there’s no way I would believe that.” he said.
However, netizens have called him out for shaming the guest over the matter, saying that he has missed the whole point of the angpow gesture to begin with.
“RM20 really is a little stingy. But I’m curious, what’s the point of having a wedding reception? Isn’t it to celebrate your union with friends and family? Or are you just hosting it to earn more money? That’s why I could never tell what is the real purpose of having a wedding reception.
Can anybody help clarify?”
“The way I see things, a marriage is between two people and the most important thing is that they get to stay happy together until the end of their days. What is the point of an angpow? It is meant to serve as a symbolic gesture to wish the newlyweds well.
Should the guest be blamed if they were going through financial difficulties? Let’s talk about the current economic situation. Everything is going up, except for your wages. Some people can barely afford to cover their own expenses.”
“If I received RM20, I wouldn’t post it online. Posting it online only makes you look like you’re stingy. Since you’re already hosting a wedding banquet, then why not be a little generous and buy this person who gave you RM20 a meal? There’s no point in posting it.”
Of course, as with any story over the Internet, this is also best taken with a grain of salt.
Tap here to give us a ‘Like’ on Facebook and stay up-to-date on the latest news and stories!
