The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1873-01-29


.qi''14YSt @a--9 i3rGI
From the snbjoined sketch of Jew
ish welding in Algeria, extracted from
the recent work of Lady Herbert or
algeria in 1871" it will be seen wbat
q fearful and wonderful thing the we'd.
ding ceremony, as practiced at the pre.
sent day in that country, is. Particu.
larry harsh is it upon the poor bride
so mnch SO that our American maids
would doubtless declare, almost TO q
man, that sooner than endure all the
steaming, scrubbing, fnmigating, par
boiling, dressing, undressing, halloo-
ing, psalm singing and miscellaneous
torture described by the fair tourist
would remain single all their born
days. The account runs thus, in Lady
HIS language:
eve paused in our sightseeing to 90
with Nine. de G. 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 breakfast of
sweetmeats, cakes, and sweet wines
we're set ont, the bride and her parents
being seated on divan at one end
dressed in rich Jewish costume. After
short time, we were told to precede
the young lady to the Moorish vapor
bath, which is the next part of the Ger
emony. Such a marvellous scene as
there met our eye | despair of repro.
dncing on paper. About fifty Young
Jewish girls, from twelve to- twentv
years of age, whose only clothing was
scarf Of gold or silver gauze round
their loins, with their beautiful dark
hair all down their backs and their
lovely, white necks and arms covered
with necklaces and bracelets, were seen
dimly standing in the water through
cloud of steam and incense, waiting for
the bride, and when she appeared re-.
ceived her with loud, shrill cries off
'Li! Ii! Ii! in a continually ascend
ing scale. Among these girls were hid
eoas nesresses equally scantily cloth.
ed, 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
us to undress, too, which we stontlv !:
resisted; and took refuge on the raised
marble slab which surrounded the bath :,
and where the pretty little bride, with :,
her mother and aunts, was STANDING :
waiting to be unrobed, too. They :,
took off her heavy velvet clothes. and 7
she appeared in beautiful gold fjrur- u u
ed sanze chemise and some lovely :.
short red and gold drawers they then ',
led her, with the same cries, into an in. " ~
ner room, which was sitting with wet a
vapor and steam, and here the door =,
child, who was orly thirteen. remained y
Tor three mortal hours, the women ~
pouring water on her head from bic. ~ ~
taresq e-shaped gold jars, and every W. ",
A'na oi cosmetic and sweet scent being e.
'n0oed npon her. Being unable to W
Sa''d Tie intense heat and overpower III
ing smell any longer, we escaped for c co
llme into the open air; but returned hi
a'!er about an hour to find another on
oilae going through the same ceremo. ~,
hes Some OF the brides maids were 90
'er;y beautiful; one especially. though 5a
JeWess, had regularly golden hair 81;
md blue eyes! And the whole scene ~
vas like ballet at the Opera, or rath. =
SET ofnalads or water-nymphs in a q
,1 not like anything in real life Z,
, heir glorious hair floating over their ~
iaoalders, with their beautifully mod oe
led arms rounded in graceful curves So,
=. .hey dIsported themselves round the tn,
ride, would have driven a sculptor or r rn'
painter wild with delight! But | ~.
y Iu'a not get over the indelicacy of the th,
NOE a., thing; it was a scene in tue nude st ht
nth vengeance! s'',
AT half past 3o'clock, the following ity
ornlng, we got up and went to the the
fdes house for the conclusion of the it
'Temoby. A great crowd of men and bu,
uslcians were grouped in the lower the
'a't' Above, tue bride was sitting in thr
a'e, IN the deep recess of handsome gui
,g,esqne, room, yelled in white gauze. thi
'llle red and gold figured scarf hung are
graceful folds behind her head. On not
Eher side of her were two venerable gro
oking old men, with long, white gui
ards, and in front of her another. of F,
'a'ng q candelabrum with three can. upc
Is They were rabbis, and chanted for
AIMS alternately with songs of praise bru
OUT the dove with beautiful eyes, the
:; = a.; ~ 'ace' a sort OF canticle. All bea
5 tlme the MINISTRIES in the quadran- sun