Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1873-05-08

| and strength OF woman nOly love,
all things are possible, but Alice surely
saved nay life.
! 4 CHINESE MARRIAGE. H.
The marriage ceremony in China
differs in many respects from that Of
our own and other countries. Love
before ma1rige was never the fashion
with the Chinese. A Chinaman, if he
moves in polite circles, has never seen
the lady to whom he is betrothed, and
has not the remotest idea of what she
is like, whether she will at all resemble
the creature his fond fancy has painted,
or whether the first sight of. her un-
yelled face on the day of marriage will
cast shadow over the prospect of his
future life. He does not understand
love; it is no part Of the marriage con-
tract. He was probably betrothed by
his parents before his infant eyes open
ed upon the charms Of his country.
His intended wife has been reared for
him in the strict seclusion of her pater-
al home
The parents of manageable children
usually engage professional person,
Or go-between to negotiate an alliance
for their son or daughter. Suitable
presents are exchanged, and an astrolo-
ger is called in to fix lucky day for
the ceremony This individual pre-
fesses to investigate the horoscope of
the contracting parties, and to ascer-
tain whether the combined ages Of
bride and bridegroom and the exact
time Of birth, will create any bad in
fuence if the two are united on a given
day. Should a lady who has been
betl othed in the customary manner
by her parents die before marriage, the
bereayed youth is at elderly to make
another engagement; but. should he die
before marriage, the young lady must
60 into weeds for the term of her natu
raj life: and, should she during her
widowhood be held in esteem by her
neighbors for perfect chastity, the I'm
perial Government will erect q stone
arch over her grave. There are many
who, when in this situation, prefer to
commit suicide rather than face the ills
of spinster's or widows life
It is usual, during the marriage
week, to engage a procession Of coolies,
to parade the streets with the articles
of household furniture, the silks and
jewels, Of the new couple. On the
day Of marriage the bride is in q hut-
ter, as she is being dressed and paint
ed by her female relatives and atten-
dants. The head-drsss, hung with
glistening sprays Of pearls, is poised
on the head, the last touch is given to
the uniform folds of her red-silk robe,
the gorgeous gilded chair waits at the
door; she is gently raised in her broth
er's arms, and held over fire of char
coal to dispel any lurking deviltry that
May be about, her. She is then carried
to her chair, followed by a chorus of
weeping females, four of whom are
the bridesmaids, who are old married
women, dressed in black and red scarfs.
Then, amid the deafsning din of fire
crackers, the schrill tones of native
flutes, and booms of gongs, she ia
borne off to the home Of the bride
groom, at the door of which: she is
met by an old woman, the mother Of
male children. 1t is then that one Of
the most tedious of earthly ceremonies
begins, wherein the spirits of ancestors
have to be worshipped, the marriage
contract read. They then drink the
sacred wine-cup, when two wine-cups
are united with a red-silk thread, and
the contents drunk by the. young cou-
pie before the assembled guests. The
bride and bridegroom are usually seat
ed during this part OF the ceremony.
We were present on one occasian at
Chinese marriage when they stood,
as shown in the sketch. When the
ceremony is over, the bride takes off
her outer robe, and prepares herself to
submit to the varied and what we
would consider extremely rude, re-
marks of the gentlemen present, who
talk freely of the form of her hands,
feet, head, nose, mouth, eyes, etc. A
feast follows, and the happy pair don't
go off in a chair-and-four on their
honeymoon. The lady retires to, and
keeps the strict seclusion Of her new
home, while the bridegroom joins in
the FEAST which is kept up to q late
hour.-Londo7, Graphic. 49, 5ss'a 81.