The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1874-04-18
VIENNA, January 13, 1878.
A BAUER HocHzErT IN sTYRIA.

i|ph,f VIENNA, January Is, 1878.
lhes A BAUER HoCHzErT IN sTYRIA.
Aud what Is a "Hochzeit?" The
dictionaries. translate the word as
wedding but the literal definition Of
| the two parts Of the word hOch--high
and zeit--time, nighttime, would often
give a truer Interpretation. A Bauer
hOchzeit Is a peasants wedding, and
4 furnishes the occasion for q high time
to the whole community, which for
days previous, ferments with the idea
af prospective conviviality. . .
A grand wedding among the Styrian
peasants always takes place ON Mon
day, but when the parties are not very
wealthy, they consider Sunday good
enough for them. e.,. ..,.,.sl...s. ~.
The Bauer Is q farmer and belongs
to the upper class In the rural
districts, mechanics and faborers
being the lower classes, and
among the latter the ceremony,
expense and festivity Of a hochzeit are
frequently dispensed with, the parties
living together as man and wife, and
often rearing large families before seek
ing priestly or legal sanction to their
union. No shame attaches to the bear
ing of Legitimate children, aud many
children stand upon the public record
as illegitimate who are subsequently
legltimized, by the marriage of their
parents. These "uniOns of heartsn and
not hand, legally speaking, seem to be
as sacredly observed as II the solemn
VOW had been taken at the altar, and
laziness, drunkenness, sickness or even
brutality are not sufficient to cause q
separation, but they toll on together,
bearing and forbearing, enjoying and
until their children are grown up and
bear their fathers name, do they go
through the form that in the eye of the
law constitutes them man and wife.
The general apology for these unions
Is the lack of means to get married,
although in reality the expense at
tending the wedding festivities are
not very great. 1t Is true the
whole community, the village and
the farmers for miles around indulge
in time of eating, drinkingand being
merry, but each does 1t at his own ex-
pense, the bridegroom paying only for
himself and bride or, perhaps, a few
personal friends in addition. An ar
rangement is made with one Cast
Haus or inn to furnish q certain num-
ber of courses of meats, vegetables,
bread and i'mehl speisen,p !. e. cakes,
or any food made Of flour except bread,
and a thin sour wine for o sum amount
ing to about one dollar and a half per
person. ----l..,..
To each one thus paying, a seat is
assigned at the table and q plate, knife,
fork, spoon and wine glass are given.
This plate reIpains ip its place all day
and all night, and each course, as it is
brought III, is piled promiscuOusly
upon the plate, the owner leaving to
dance and returning to eat as inclina-
tionpr,mpts, or, If generously disposed,
he may share his plate and fork with
any of his friends who have not paid.
30 1t is not uncommon to see two, or
even three, eating from the same dish
or drinking from the same glass, o
community of feeling more pleasant to
behold than to participate in.
The food is usually all prepared and
brought In before o p. NJ, 30 that those
who do not remain all night can have
their share as each one Is expected to
take home all that he does not eat.
The wedding which we witnessed
was not the highest kind of a time, for
it took place on Sunday, one bright
Sunday In July.
Early in the morning the road was
filed with groups Of peasants In hoii-
day attire, the old men with leather
breeches, the young men in jackets of
dark grey, faced with green, knee
breeches of grey and long green stock
ings, and a tall, pointed hat trimmed
with green, and frequently bearing q
buckle feather such as children often
pick up in u barnyard to adorn their
hats with. The old ladies were ''smart-
lyv attired In dark blue or green skirts,
long black silk aprons, black cloth
basques and each wore, without excep-
ton, a black silk handkerchief tied
over her head. The maidens were
not dressed so uniformly, many of
them looking quite fashionable,
but most of them wore dark blue skirts,
high necked and long cleeved white
skirts, with q corset worn outside, and
many of them wore wreaths of flowers
on their heads. N hs
These people all went to the church,
anu ftltcI noNib6 pOifOAhSN eANn 80.
gious duties, felt prepared for the hi
larity of the occasion. - $50 --d
The arched doors of the church and
the gateways were wreathed with flow
ers and evergreens, and sentence of
welcome or good will was suspended
over each. The ceremony In hechurch
occupied but little time, and was evil
IDENTIFY of little importance, itbeing the
eating, drinking and dancing that con-
stitute the high time.
At about IL A. NJ. the priestly bles-
sing was pronounced and the fun at
once began. The inns were all open
and throgned with guests, even more
than is usual on Sunday, and the whole
village seemed to bein state of festivi-
ty, little parties being seen in front OF
many of the dwellings engaged in the
general amusement Of ministering to
the inner man.
At the principal inn dancing at once
began, and during the remainder ofthe
day and all night the merry company
were tripping Il to the discordant notes
of brass band, whose brayings were
almost deafening in aroom abouttwen-
ty feet square and eight feet high. But
add to this the tramp of the heavy
boots and the yells and whoops which
emanated every minute from some ex-
cruciatingly happy individual; the
dim light which was scarcely able
to penetrate through the thick clouds
~ tobacco smoke: the fumes of