American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-05-30
A COurland Pleasantly edding.


Courland is inhabited by a mixed peO.
| pie: the nobility and middle class are
| almost wholly German, while the peasants
| are for the most part LettOnians, or, per
haps more properly, Courlanders. This
race belongs to the Lithuanian family,
| whose branches are found in East Prussia,
North Poland, and West Russia; they all
have a language peculiar to themselves,
as well as a common origin. And, in
| many things, the customs also of these
peasants are very different from those of
| their German neighbors. Indeed, in those
districts inhabited exclusively by them
selves, they still live quite as their fathers
did generations ago; which, in many par
| ticulars, to us seems strange enough. For
example, according to our notions of pro-
priety, marriage proposals may be made
by men only; the Lithuanians think diff
ferently. Among them the girls, as well
as the young men, select their partners
fer life, and it is not looked upon as st all
improper or indicate for the girl to
propose. Nor is she in any degree dis
graced or made subject of ridicule if she
is so unfortunate as 20 be rejected among
the many from whom she can choose.
She readily finds another, provided
ALWAYS that her pretensiOns are supported
by something of this worlds goods, but
COW, in most cases, is sufficient.
Preliminaries being settled between
couple who are disposed to make the
matrimonial venture together, the cere
monial begins The bridegroom chooses
two so-called "gOod men" and one of the
other sex, with whom he approaches the
residence of his lady-love, who, when she
sees him coming, hastens to run away
and hide. Meantime the lover waits at
the gate, while his escort enters the house,
where they are received most cordially,
and shown into the best room. There
their spokesman makes formal speech,
in which he says that on the way they
saw beautiful bird sometimes hand
some fox) which. however, they suddenly
lost sight of; and as they have looked
everywhere else for it in vain, they are
convinced it must have concealed itself
in this house. The parents and relations
of the girl protest that they have seen
nothing of the kind, and that their neigh
bors must be in error. The neighbors,
however, are not to be convinced, and
justify their persistency by stating that
they have seen the animals tracks !
on the premises. The parents are
greatly surprised, and no longer
hesitate to allow an immediate and
search to be made. And now |
the chase begins. The girl will appear
very bashful and coy; she runs from room
to room, her pursuers close after her. FL |
nally she is driven into the most remote
corner, when she surrenders, but not
wholly. The woman who is one of the |
pursuing trio now puts a silk kerchief |
around her neck, which she spitefully |
tears off and throws as far away from her
as possible. Again it is put around her
neck and again she tears it off; but the |
third time She allows it to remain, thereby |
H. al Il 1,.p.
sGitor's oft-repeated opportunities.
Now she is led to the room where the |
parents wait, and where now the lover |
makes his appearance. Here the couple |
exchange bIeezen, that is, silver or tin |
buckles, which serve to hold cloak or
shawl together, and the bridegroom re
ceives from his lady-love either pair OF
or mittens, of her own knitting, |
of course.
They are now husband and wife. AS |
for the church ceremony, that sometimes |
does not take place till months after
ward.
The weddings are usually in the
autumn, because the peasants are then, /
after the harvest, best off, and because
their cattle are the latest. The day he
fore the wedding ceremony the relations
of the bridegroom meet at his house, and,
after having fortified themselves with
g drinks all round,'' they mount their
horses ard ride to the house of the bride. |
Here they find numerous company as
and now, until late in the night,
they feast, dance and make merry. Early
the following morning they all start for
the church, which not untrequently is
several miles away. The procession is
led by a so-called disclttas toeddeis, l. e, "A
chiefI leader. He is followed by the mar
shals, each with a white kerchief tied
over his shoulder like a sash. Behind
the marshals come the guests on horse
back or in wagons, well provided with
pistols or loud Graz king whips, in order
that thev may make themselves heard.
They finally arrive at the church, when,
after the sermon is over, the ceremony
takes place Here, as in all countries and |
at all times, on like occasions, all eyes
are on the bride. who, among the be
decked, is most bedecked. On her head
he wears a crown like structure of tinsel |
and her face is thickly powdered with |
rye-flour, through which, however, the |
sun Drowned skin can be plainly seen.
AS soon as the ceremony is over, the |
bridegroom seiZes his bride firmly by the |
hand, as though he were fearful some one |
might rob him of her, and leads her out
of the church. The procession now starts |
back in the order it came to the house OF
the bride, where the wedding feast is cele
brated.
While at the table all try to rob the
bride of her wreath, and, If the attempt
prove successful, it is hung on nail,
which, for this purpose, has been driven
into the wall behind her seat. deal of
cunning and cleverncss is displayed i'll |
this endeavor, and the repeated failures
make good sport for the guests and win
round after round of applause for the
wary bride After time the marshals,
who have 1ot been at the table, enter the
room carrying in each hand three or four
lighted candles and sing stanZa the bur
den of which is: ave come to You
politely and modestly, modestly and po
lit iv we hope you'll receive us. To all
we wish well, to no one i'll long life and
good health to the bride and bridegroom,
Heisdi FiUnn' At the last words each
one takes his bridesmaid and waltzes with
her around the room, still holding III his
hand tie burning candles, one OF
which he throws aside at the end of the |
dance. After the young couple have been |
complimented in this manner, the song |
and dance are repeated in honor of the |
guests, one after the other, according to |
their social position; meantime the poor |
girls are compelled to submit to having
their best frocks daubed with candle |
grease from head to foot. This ceremony
ended, the dancing becomes general
among the young people, while the papas
and mammas remain at the table.
A similar merry bout takes place at
the house of the bridegroom, whittier the
whole company usually repair toward
evening. When the bride arrives there,
she is first driven to the hlete, an out