“When guests arrive, there is no tea, but betel nut as a gift.” In ancient times, there was a special custom of treating guests with betel nut in place of tea in the southern region, so betel nut is also known as “Renpin” and “Binmen”. Elegant name. Until now, Guangxi, Hainan and other regions still retain this custom.
Betel nut is even widely used in all aspects of marriage in various parts of Lingnan. Since the Ming Dynasty, there has been a custom of using betel nuts in marriage ceremonies in Hainan. "Qiongtai Chronicle" said that Hainan "customs attach great importance to this thing. Every handover is regarded as the first guest, marriage is regarded as a ceremony, and relatives and guests come and go. It is not a gift other than betel nut. At the beginning of weddings, matchmaking, and concubines, the rich people use it as a gift. A silver box. When you go to the girl's house, you don't open the box unless you want to marry her, but you can hold one in the box as a gift. Every woman who is hired is said to eat a certain betel nut. This custom extends to Fujian and Guangdong." This may be because the juice produced by chewing betel nut is red, and red represents happiness in traditional concepts; betel nut is prosperous and symbolizes "more children, more blessings".