The Opelousas patriot. [volume] (Opelousas, Parish of St. Landry, La.) 1855-1863, 1856-01-12
sardinian Marriage Customs.

SATNAUlAil VAAEIhSc NUBIOHAs
Marriage follows love, more or less, in Sar-
,dinia as elsewhere. When arrived at the seri-
Gus. point, sometimes the lover accompanied |
by a friend sometimes the lovers father, pro
ceeds to the house Of the girls parents, and
there grayely professes to have lost sheep for
which he is in search. If. the parents are
agreeable to the match they proceed, if they
have several daughters, to present them one by
one, reserving the one wanted until the last. |
Then follows the bargain as to exchange of
gifts. A day is fixed for the exchange, and the |
lover gives his betrothed solemn kiss-hence
this meeting is called ora del facio, and from
dishonor to his betrothed, and taking upon
himself the vengeance of her relatives and clan.
On the day of betrothal the friends of the
bridegroom, called paralymphos, form a pro-
cession, and carry the articles composing his
store to her fathers house, where they knock
and pretend to be impatient because the door is
not Immediately opened to them. The inmates
inquire who and what are these impatient peo-
ple and what they bring to which the para
lymphos answer that they lave honor and vir-
tue. Then they are admitted--the family and
friends in their gayest costume and they pro-
ceed to exchange the segnatl or gifts and the
list of the various articles being examined, the
business is solemnized by feast. The day Of
marriage is then fixed and proclaimed in the
village church for three consecutive Sundays.
Eight days before it takes place, the bride
groom, accompanied by his friends, forms a
procession with carts loaded with the furniture,
ETC., he has undertaken to supply to the house
of the intended bride. Here they are exam
ined, condemned if not up to the customary
mark, and, when finally passed, repacked and
conducted in state to the new house Of the
bridegroom. The brides procession follows a
few days afterwards. The musicians, playing
on the peculiar pipes of the island, march first,
and friends follow, each carrying something
one looking glass, another basket of crock
cry and glasses, third new distatf with the
flax or wool ready to be spun off. Another
guest carries the picture Of the favorite saint
destined to adorn the nuptial bed. A pillow,
trimmed with colored ribbons and myrtle, is a
favoritc gift and the prettiest maiden of the
party carries the vase to be used thereafter by
the bride for fetching water from the fountain,
but which, on this occasion, is filled with flow
ers Each of her friends is the bearer of some
little article of future use. Behind them fol
low the carts with the heavy goods the horns
of the oxen tipped with oranges and covered
with colored ribbons. Some wheat, with a
pair of grinding stones fill q separate cart, be-
hind which follows the ass whose future duty
lit will be to work the MILL his ears and tail
adorned with ribbons and flowers All the
7 furniture being arranged, is adorned with flow.
ers, which, however faded, must not be removed
for many months after the marriage. On the
marriage day the bridegroom proceeds will
his companions to the house Of the bride; who
on his arrival, takes her farewell, receives The
blessing of her parents, and is consigned to the
hands Of the priest. The bride takes with hel
bottle of wine and cake of the finest wheat
colored with saffron and adorned with flowers
as present to the priest, and distributes sev
eral cakes of her own making among her young
friends in the procession The ceremony being
over, they return home, where at the marrlag
feast the young couple, seated next each other
eat soup out of the same basin and with the sam
spoon. During the festivities which follow th
feast the bride is not allowed to move or spea
during the whole day, though around her al
! is gayety and merry-making, She must no
/: speak word until She leaves her grand chat
. to start for her own house. She is then place
upon horse gayly caparisoned and led by on
[ OF the men at tie right hand Of the brld'
: groom, the females following behind her, an
4 the men Joining in the retinue. The calvacac
d is preceded by the launedda, or sarae pipe
i IAN exact copy of the Instrument on which Pa
! and the >atyrs perform in ancient bas.relieis
d playing nuptia song, in the chorus Of whc
! the whole party from time to time join. Y
arriving at the court of the house, the moth
o receives the bride, and sprnkles her with gra
and salt. On reaching the door she a'igh
II from her horse upon little table covered wi
le gay piece of carpet, and thus passes into II t
;e house without touching the threshold. T.
bride is then accompanied to the bridal chal
ber, the nearest relatives sprinkling her wi
10 razi, bonbons made ofsugared nuts and almont
A glass of water is emptied at her feet as $
nc enters the chamber. A dance concludes
- amusements of the day, in which the bride a
# bridegroom take no part. Household Wor'
n A plain and unschooled man, who has
is ceived his education principally beneath
omen slly. in the field and the forest, and W