Ancient Chinese believed four occurrences were the happiest things in life and they are expressed in a poem: a good rain after a long drought, meeting an old friend in a distant land, the wedding night in a room lit with red candles and the moment that one's name appears on a public billboard as having passed a government examination.
In feudal society, the harvesting of crops, to be always closely related to one's hometown, to get married as a symbol of becoming an adult and to gain a position in the government were the most important things by which a man was judged as being a success.
Among them, the wedding night was the most unforgettable experience and over the years many folk customs have evolved to celebrate of this happy occasion. One of the special customs is called ‘nao dongfang’ (teasing the newlyweds, or rousing games in the bridal chambers) in which relatives and friends of the newlyweds made fun of them in their room on their wedding night, asking the couple to act out the suggestions contained in hints being made to them.
The custom originated during the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), and it has continued up to today. It's said that long ago an Immortal found out that a devil had followed the wedding parade of a bride who was being carried in a sedan chair. The devil had then hidden in the couple's room and threatened their lives once all the guests had gone away. The Immortal said that the only way to drive the devil away was with people's laughter. So the couple had to bring a lot of friends into their room after the ‘baitang’ (the formal wedding ceremony) to produce noisy laughter.
The Chinese is not the only race that has a custom of ‘disturbing’ the newlyweds. In the west, chiverie is the wedding night prank to interrupt the wedding couple at night by a crowd clanging pots and pans, ringing bells and horns. Some even play around with the room where they will stay, like spread food all over the bed, put plenty of balloons and hide alarm clock everywhere, they make noise outside the place where the couple spends their first night together, just for fun. In the US, the ‘shivaree’, as it is called, was once very popular and often elaborated into a ritual humiliation of the bride and groom.
An article describes ‘nao dongfang’ in the Qing dynasty as follows:
Soon after the newlyweds have entered the nuptial chamber, all the wedding guests, male and female, follow. To win the smiles of the bride, people wilfully tease her with all kinds of ridicule and jokes. This practice of foolery and frivolity by adults in the nuptial chamber is intended to embarrass the bride and bridesmaid. The guests crack vulgar jokes in bawdy language and make flippant remarks the bride’s appearance. They go so far as to take the rouge and powder off the bride’s face and put it on one another. They do not stop until they have had their fill of wanton fun and foolery.
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中国古代认为人生有四大喜事，宋•洪迈在《容斋四笔》中以《得意失意诗》来说明：‘久旱逢甘雨，他乡遇故知；洞房花烛夜，金榜题名时。’
在封建社会里，谷物丰收、靠近亲友、年长成婚及一官半职，都是一个男人成功的标志。
其中，洞房花烛夜最为难忘，并形成不少风俗来庆祝这个快乐的时辰。一个特别的风俗就是‘闹洞房’；在新婚之夜，亲戚朋友在新娘房内，出题要新婚夫妇照做表演。
这个风俗起源于汉朝（公元前206年至公元220年），延续至今。据说，很久以前，一个神仙发现有一个恶魔跟随新娘轿车队伍，来到新娘房中，等到所有的人都离开后，威胁新娘新郎的生命。神仙说，驱魔的唯一的方法就是人们的笑声。所以这对夫妇在拜堂之后就邀请很多的朋友到他们的房间来发出笑声。
闹新人并不是只是华人才有的风俗。在西方，再新婚夜就有就有‘chiverie’的习俗来干扰新人，以壶及平锅发出声音，摇铃及吹喇叭。有些还在他们的房间里恶作剧，例如把食物在他们的床上散布，四处放气球，藏闹钟；并在洞房外嚷叫，就为了好玩。在美国叫做的‘shivaree’亦曾流行一时，时常成为对新娘新郎的例行羞辱。
一篇文章对闹洞房的描述如下：
‘新妇既入洞房，男妇宾咸入，以欲博新妇之笑，谑浪笑傲，无所不至。……成年者之闹房，其目的则在侮弄新娘及伴房之女，淫词戏语，信口而出，或评新娘头足，或以新娘脂粉涂饰他人之面，任意调笑，兴尽而止。’
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