Main Piece: SM: For Chinese people, don’t bring clocks to the wedding, because that’s like a symbolism… thats a symbol of basically counting down someone’s death. So if you give it as a gift, it’s like you’re wishing for someone to die soon.

Context: This is a superstition that is just understood in the Chinese culture, similar to how it’s understood in the US that “you shouldn’t wear white to a wedding.”

Background: SM grew up in Singapore, and so she grew up fully aware of this superstition.

Analysis: The symbolism in this one is particularly interesting, because it does actually make sense! Clocks are often used as symbols of death, or of limited time, and so when you think about it it completely makes sense that gifting a clock could symbolize gifting someone death. At a wedding, when everyone is excited about the future, and many families are gifting practical household options, I can understand how the last thing you would want is a clock.