“When the time came, my parents told me to go away for a while, suggesting I hide in the toilet,” Hu told Xibu Juece.

Hu declined to hide in the toilet and instead found a discreet spot in the backyard, which kept him out of sight from the about-to-be newly weds.

“As long as the bride couldn’t see me, it would be fine. This is our custom,” Hu said, adding: “It took about 10 minutes for the bride to do the kneeling ritual, then I was free again.”

After completing the ritual, Hu joined the celebrations and stood next to his brother and sister-in-law for a photograph.

Hu’s story has sparked an outpouring of discussions about traditional wedding customs in mainland China.

One online observer said: “Am I the only one who thinks it’s very ridiculous?”

Another said: “It’s very similar to my hometown. If the younger sister is getting married, the unmarried elder sister was not allowed to show up until the start of the wedding banquet.”

A similar story also went viral last month, when a 31-year-old unmarried elder sister in southern China said she had hidden herself on the rooftop of her home for the weddings of her four younger siblings.

According to Asia Wedding Network, if you get married before your elder brother, you should buy him a new pair of trousers as the Chinese word for the item of clothing sounds the same as wealth.

To show respect, the bride and groom will enter their new home under the elder brother’s new trousers, which should be hung across the main door of the home.

It is also required that the older brother is not at home when the couple enter the house for the first time. This act is to show respect to the elder brother and symbolise the couple being on equal terms with the older sibling despite his unmarried status.

If a woman is getting married before their elder sister, the same rules apply but a skirt is used instead of trousers. However, some believe walking under a skirt will bring bad luck so buy the elder sister a new skirt instead.