At any wedding, chances are you'll be asked to raise your glass on more than one occasion. After all, wedding toast is a great way of uniting a room in their good wishes for the couple. And just like there are hundreds of ways to say "Cheers", there are also lots of traditions from around the world to toast a newlywed couple's good fortune, and we wanted to introduce you to one here.
The Yam Seng toast comes from a Cantonese phrase that means "Cheers" and is popular in Asian countries such as China, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia, and is a super fun, energetic activity to do with your guests. Introducing this ritual to your wedding reception is a great way to blend traditions from different cultures, just like our real bride Niamh, who spent many years living in Malaysia.
So here's everything you need to know about how to do a Yam Seng toast.
What does Yam Seng Mean?
Yam Seng is a Cantonese term that means “drink to victory" and is used the same way we use "Cheers" in the English language. In Asian culture, it is used as part of a ritual in wedding celebrations to congratulate a couple on their wedding and to wish them a long and happy marrige.
When do you do a Yam Seng Toast?
Most often, a Yam Seng toast is usually done towards the end of the reception. However, at a typical Chinese wedding, there can be two sets of Yam Seng toasting sessions, which isn't surprising as they are a LOT of fun to do.
If a couple chooses to do it twice, the first Yam Seng toast is done with the newlyweds, their families, and the wedding party on stage. The MC will encourage everyone to raise their glasses and shout "Yam Seng" three times; once for a blissful marriage, secondly for eternal love for the couple, and finally for fertility.
The second Yam Seng toast is done with each table individually as the newlyweds move around the room to thank their guests for coming. This is where the fun really begins and things can get quite competitive to say the least.
How to do a Yam Seng Toast
When doing a Yam Seng toast with your family or guests, the idea is to make the first word “Yam” last as long as possible. This means you have to draw the sound out while also getting louder and louder, before eventually running out of breath and finishing off with a very, very loud "Seng".
Naturally as the couple are going around the room to toast with each table, there is a little bit of competition to be the longest and the loudest, and this really adds to the fun atmosphere. We can only imagine that they themselves star to run out of breath, especially if it's a big wedding and there are quite a few tables.
It is believed that the longer you stretch the "Yam", the more the wish for the couple's future happiness will come true. This is one toast that will definitely bring plenty of laughter, break the ice and we think would a great mood lifter just before people hit the dancefloor as people are very energised afterwards.
Want to explore other options for your wedding toast? Check out our post on Traditional Irish Wedding Blessings, Toasts, Readings and Vows or perhaps you want to shake up your wedding speeches. Be sure to follow us on Instagram for more ideas.
