‘Red bomb’: cash dilemma of Hong Kong man invited to wedding by ‘troublesome’ workmate prompts flood of online advice
- Invitation, which by tradition requires invitee to give gift of red envelope filled with cash, or lai see, leaves man in a quandary
- Online advice is split, but many suggest that as invitation was sent to whole company, the sender is almost certainly on the make
A Hong Kong man who received an unexpected “red bomb” wedding invitation from a work colleague has been flooded with advice on social media over whether he should accept it or not.
At the heart of his dilemma is the nature of a “red bomb” invitation in Hong Kong and mainland Chinese society. It refers to the fact that the invited person is required to give the host a traditional lai see, or small red envelope, filled with cash.
The poster, who is active on the popular local anonymous discussion forum DiscussHK, said late last month: “I got a ‘red bomb’ today. A colleague’s son is getting married. She is hosting a banquet and sent me an invitation card. But we have nothing in common except work. I don’t want to go. Should I give her this favour?”
A Hong Kong website specialising in wedding etiquette suggests that the amount of cash in a lai see packet should be equivalent to the level of the hotel where the banquet is being held as well as the relationship between the host and the invitee, with prices ranging from HK$1,000 to HK$3,000 (US$128 to US$384).
In his post, the man added: “She sent invitations to the whole company. I don’t want to go and give her this favour. She is troublesome and often talks about colleagues behind their backs.”
The post sparked a lively discussion, attracting 78 comments on the forum which were divided into two camps.
“Just give her a lai see of HK$100,” said one observer.
Another said: “If you are scared of her, go to the wedding and give her the cash gift.”
However, more people urged him to ignore the invitation.
“You should just tell her you’re not going,” said one.
Several others said: “Just throw the invitation away and pretend you didn’t see it. If a colleague invites the whole company to a wedding she is probably robbing you of your money.”
