‘Covered in blisters’: China bride faces permanent scarring after wedding guests spray party streamers causing severe burns
- Woman struggles to shield herself, suffers burns, smoking hair
- Gas-charged streamers contain dangerous flammable solvents
A bride in China who could be disfigured for the rest of her life because of severe burns inflicted by party streamers, has evoked sympathy and ignited an online debate about extreme wedding customs.
The young woman, from Taizhou in Zhejiang province, southeastern China, whose name has not been revealed, can be seen in videos she shared on social media.
On December 23, she posted several joyful photos of herself with her groom, and received a flurry of good wishes from online observers.
But four days later in other videos and photos, she was seen with her face bandaged and with prominent black marks on her eyebrows and cheeks.
The bride revealed to curious and shocked online viewers that the drastic change in her appearance was the result of being burned by “gas-charged streamers” during her wedding celebrations.
One video of the big day shows her emerging from the wedding car dressed in a traditional red Chinese bridal gown and smiling initially, until she was engulfed in streamers, which made it difficult for her to move.
Struggling, she tried to keep her face covered, then attempted to shield herself in the groom’s embrace while smoke could be seen billowing from her hair.
Later, as she walked down the aisle, the expression on her face appeared to show she was in pain.
“At first, it just felt hot on my face, but by the next day, my face was covered in blisters,” the bride said.
One online viewer pointed out that in one photo, blisters could clearly be seen on the bride’s right cheek.
Spraying streamers has become a popular wedding custom in Taizhou in recent years, because, as well as creating a lively festive atmosphere, they are not expensive, are easy to clean up and don’t stick to clothes.
However, they are potentially dangerous because they contain a resin compound dissolved in flammable organic solvents like ethanol or methane.
Once sprayed, they create an aerosol that can quickly ignite on contact with fire.
The incident has triggered both sympathy and concern among on mainland social media.
“Just a spark can ignite these streamers, causing flames to shoot up instantly. With smoking and fireworks common at weddings, this is extremely dangerous,” one commenter said.
“In such cases, is it possible to sue those who sprayed the streamers?” asked another.
“People who play pranks at weddings like this are insane. As long as it doesn’t harm them, they think it’s just playing jokes,” said a third.
“I hope she takes good care of herself and recovers soon,” another concerned viewer said.
