The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1872-12-30

A Jewish Wedding in Algeria

A Jewish Wedding I'm Algeria.
From the subjoined sketch Of Jew.
ish wedding in Algeria, extracted from
the recent work OF Lady Herbert on
algeria in 1871" will be seen what q
fearful and wonderful thing the we'd
ding ceremony, as prscticed at the pres.
ent day in that country, is. Particu-
larry harsh is it upon the poor bride; 80
much so that our American maids
would doubtless declare, almost 70 q
man, that sooner than endure all the
steaming, sorubbing. fumigating, par
boiling, dressing, undressing, hallooing,
psalmslnglng and miscellaneous tor
ture described by the tourist, they
would remain single all their born
days. The account runs thus, in Lady
H.'s language:
1--WE paused in our sight seeing to 20
with Nine. de and her beautiful
daughter TO see Jewish wedding, for
which she had kindly obtained US an
invitation. We were received in an
allowed room, where a breakfast OF
sweetmeats, cakes and sweet wines were
set out, the bride and her parents being
seated on q diva at one end, dressed in
rich Jewish costume After q short
time, we were told TO precede the young
lady to the Moorish vapor bath, which
is the next part OF the ceremony. Such
a marvellous scene as there met our eye
l despair of reproducing on paper.
About fifty young Jewish girls from
twelve to twenty years Of age, whose
only clothing was scarf OF gold or sill
yer gauze round their loins, with their
beautiful dark hair all down their backs,
and their lovely white necks and arms,
covered with necklaces and brace
lets, were seen dimly standing
in the water through cloud
of steam and incense, waiting for the
bride, and when she appeared received
her with loud, shrill cries OF Iii lii!
Lii 10 a continually ascending scale.
Among these girls were hideous ne
crosses equally scsntily clothed, and one
or two OF them with their black woolly
hair dyed bright orange color these
were the bathing, women. They seized
us by the arm and wanted to force US
to undress too, which we stoutly resist
ed, and took refuge on the raised mar
bic slab which surrounded the bath,
and where the pretty little br de, with
her mother and aunts, were standing
waiting to be unrobed too. They took
off her heavy velvet clothes, and she
appeared in a beautiful gold figured
gauze chemise and some lovely short
red and gold drawers; they then led
her, with the same cries, into an inner
room, which was sitting with wet va
Dor and steam, and here the poor child,
who was only thirteen, remained for
three mortal hours, the women
pouring water on her head from pic
turesqne-shaped gold jars, and every
kind of cosmetic and sweet scent being
rubbed upon her. Being unable to
stand the intense heat and overpower-
ing smell any longer, we escaped tor a
time into the open air; but returned
after an hour to find another bride
going through the same ceremonies
Some of the bridesmaids were very
beautiful; one especially, though q
Jewess, had regularly golden hair and
blue eyes! And the whole scene was
like q ballet in an opera or rather a
set of paiads or water nymphs in pic
ture; not like anything in real lie.
Their glorious hair floating over their
shoulders, with their beautifully mod
sled arms rounded in graceful curvee
as they disported themselves round the
bride, would have driven a soul ptor or
painter wild with delight! But |
could not get over the indelicacy of the
whole thing; it was scene in the nude
with q vengeance.
"At half past three o'clock the fol-
lowing morning, We got up and went TO
the brides house for the conclusion OF
the ceremony. A great crowd OF men
and musicians were grouped In the
lower court, Above the bride was slt-
ting in state, in the deep recess OF
handsome Moresque room, yelled IN
white gauze, while red and gold fig
ured scarf hung 10 graceful folds behind
her head. On either side OF her were
two venerable looking old men with
long, white boards, and in front of her
another, holding candelabrum with
three candles They were rabhis, and
chsnted psalms alternately with songs
of praise abont the dove with the beau
tiiul eve etc; in fact, sort OF cantlcle.
All this time the Ministries in the quad
rangle below were making noise,
while over the carved gallery above
looking down upon them, leaned q va
riety o. Jewish women, all beautifully
dress ed in brown velvet and satin, with
stomachs and girdlee richly brocsded
in gold. and gold embroidered lappe's
hanging from the black silk head dress
which is the invarisble costume OF the'r
race This went on for hours, till the
moor little bride looked quite worn out
From time to time spoonsful OF coup
were nut into her mouth, winch she
strove to resist; and then she was con-
Quoted into the court below, where tne
same ceremonies were gone through;
except that species Of butfoon danced
before her. and was rewarded by ten
franc bits put into bis mouth, which De
kent to his cheek while drawing ont 9
queer kind of song, which We supposed
was witty, as the audience were IN hts
Of laughter. Everything was done
both up stairs and down, to make tne
! Ih. .var m chuckipg and pull