Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-06-25
An Armenian Wedding.

was Wen OH, having TWO houses anu >O,-
600 Turkish liras 100000 as marriage
portion. This was all given over to the
bridegroom, who, strange to say, did not
seem to feel bit grateful. l should II
some one would give me two houses,
with all their furniture, including slaves,
and $780, but then | am a heather,
and not an orthodox Armenian.
When I arrived the bride was just
| dressed, and was invited into the bed
room where she was, to see her IN all the
glory OF her attire. She stood IN the
center Of the room, and all the slaves
and old women stood off to give me a
better view of her magniicence. |
! walked around her twice before | could
see where her face was, or which was the
front of her. She was covered with a
most curious veil made of long slips of
gold tinsel, which reached to her feet.
Through this you could not see, except
the bottom Of her dress. The Armenian
women are generally very pretty, but
perfect fools in manners and expression;
SO much so that when one man wishes to
offend another he says: Pretty Ar
menlan" which really means fool
The women dress like Europeans, in
general.
The women, after | had twice made the
circuit OF the rail, lifted it in front and
separated the long strings Of tinsel, till |
could see that the bride was dressed in
white silk, brocaded with silver and
pearls, and that around her waist was a
vide belt containing fortune in precious
stones. Her cheeks were painted a deep
crimson, laid on in heart shape, and an
other heart was artistically put on the
chin, while the rest of the face was as
white as the luminous cosmetic could
bring it. The eyebrows met and also
stretched to the hair on each side her
temples, and were IS black as they could
be painted. The inside of her fingers
ends and fnger-nails were stained deep
crimson. Her hair, which was long and
thick, though coarse, was braided full of
little jingling coins. The outlines Of her
form were, as usual, totally hidden by the
clumsy-made clothes.
I admired her to her hearts content,
and even went so far as to take up a fold
of her dress to see if the pearls sewn on
SO lavishly were real ones, to the evident
pleasure Of all present; for what would
be the height Of ill-breeding among US is
considered delicate tiattery among these
women.
/ forgot to look at her feet, and was
about to go and sit down, when she
stuck out first one and then the other,
that l might see that they were shod with
velvet slippers, embroidered with pearls,
and then showed me her earrings, which
were large solitaire diamonds. She had
On no brooch nor necklace, and one of
the women interpreted for me, and told
me the bridegroom was to give them after
the ceremony.
We then all sat down and coffee was
brought in little cups about the size of al
egg-shell, and carried in little gold fill
gree holders I would like to immortal
ize the coffee they make here, even as
Lamb did his vanity, but [ feel made
Quate to the task. 1t is the sublimated
essence of the spirit of coffee, of which
we get but the material in America. I
shall bring Turk with me, with all the
apparatus for cofee-making, when | re-
turn to America.
After this episode all the lady guests
went into another room to see the trOus-
seau, which was laid out for their in
spectiOn. Many of the dresses were very
elegant, but I found it very tiresome,
as l must examine every article, be
ing the mussufara, or guest of the
guests or foreigners. I had arrived at
examined the mother of the bride entered
and called US out to the larger room, tell
ing us that the table was spread for the
marriage feast, and we must come and
look at it. We traversed a long, cold
sale to the supper-room, which looked
really very handsome, but it was bitterly
cold, there being no appliances for fire.
We went then to the parlOr to await the
arrival of the bridegroom and the priests,
four of whom were to perform the cere-
monv. The bride was seated upon a sort
Of chair, without a back, and her veil ar
ranged carefully so as to completely hide
her. The rooms in all the houses here
are furnished very simply, this one hav-
ing but one table and one chair. There
were divans all round the walls, and in
the center of the room a fountain very
handsomely carved. The floor was COW
cred with an elegant Persian carpet, and
the ceiling fairly festooned with lamps.
| think we furnish our houses too much,
generally, and they none Of them look
so really elegant as do these houses here
The bridegroom and his friends arrived
about nine, and other friends and &C
quaintances began to arrive, but the
priests did not come. We waited and
waited. Ten o'clock! Eleven! and still
no priests. The father of the bride went
to see what was the reason of the delay
and soon returned to say that they were
at another wedding, but would surely be
here soon. So we had coffee and more
sweetmeats. | wanted to go home, but
those who had brought me would not
hear of it, and [ was compelled to remain,
though more tired than ever before in my
life, | think. Twelve o'clock came, and
halfpast, and then one, and no priests. 4
boy came and said the priests would be
along directly, and he spread piece of
carpet in the middle of the room and re-
tired. The people did not seem to mind
the delay, but I felt sorry for the poor
bride, who sat erect all this while on her
chair, speaking to no one, nor even NOV
ing. I had the corner divan, and with all
the cushions | was pretty comfortable,
and I am not quite sure [ didn't go to
sleep, for I found | mixed things a little
afterward.
At half-past one the priests arrived,
preceded by a crowd Of boys bearing
censers and bumble-beeing some sort of a
thing I suppose they called singing. TIE
priests were decorated with gold embrOid-
cry from head to foot, and the chief
priest wore a sort of inter on his head
literally blazing with jewels. The carpet
that had been laid by the boy was now
covered by one far more elegant, and hav-
ing tassels of pearls at each corner. The
chief priest took his place on the center
of this, and the other three behind him
The father of the bride took her by the
hand and led her forward to the bride
4bo 4vrn Fl I~of