Giving ang pao at a wedding dinner is an unspoken rule among the Chinese community, and it has to be done right. Give too little money and you’ll be labelled as stingy, give too much and you’ll be seen as showing off (though people usually complain about the former).
Source: Daniel CTW
Recently, a Taiwanese man named Lee, hosted a wedding dinner as his son was getting married. The function took place in Taoyuan and it wasn’t exactly the budget type, as a single table cost about NT$20,000 (approx. RM2,833), according to China Press.
Lee also invited his old friend of 30 years, Leow, to the wedding dinner.
Oh no wedding invitation! Need to give ang pao!
On the auspicious day, Leow showed up with his daughter and gave NT$2,600 (approx. RM368) as ang pao to the hosting family. However, that was way too little for Lee as he expected (a lot) more from a friend of 30 years, as his other friends’ ang paos started from NT$ 3,600 (approx. RM510) onwards. It’s the thought that counts dude.
After the dinner, Lee couldn’t get over it and started lashing out at his old friend. He described Leow as ‘stingy’ for not giving the ang pao according to ‘market price’. He even went to the extent of criticising Leow in a Line group chat, saying that Leow “took advantage of him”.
Needless to say, Leow blew a fuse when this news came to his attention. He even took Lee to court for a defamation suit! Well, that escalated quickly.
In court, Leow defended himself by saying that he didn’t have any source of income as he has retired from work. With limited funds in the bank, he needed to spend not only wisely, but in a thrifty manner too, to get through the remaining days.
As for the ang pao, Leow clarified that he had already done his best and the amount he gave shouldn’t warrant an overreaction from Lee. Besides, since they have been friends for over 30 years, Lee shouldn’t be too calculative about the ang pao as it is just a tradition.
The prosecutor advised Leow to drop the charge to salvage their friendship, but he decided to burn the bridge and go through with it.
Apparently there’s no standard guidelines when it comes to ang pao giving. The amount depends on the relationship between the giver and the host, but ultimately, it boils down to the financial status of the giver. Can’t expect a jobless person to give a ‘heavy’ ang pao, right?
We’re unsure how the case proceeded and what was the end result, but we certainly hope they can settle the issue amicably without anyone being fined. Let’s hope it’s not too late for them to rekindle their friendship.
Also read: RM6,600 for Mother’s Birthday Meal Causes Taiwanese Boyfriend to Slap His Girlfriend
