Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1877-02-08
Coptic Wedding At Cairo.

Copttc Wedding At Cairo.
From the Tendon Record.
Miss Jane Whately, the biographer
of her father, Archbishop Whately,
now on 4 visit to her sister at Cairo,
has sent the following description of
Coptic wedding:
The bride was one Of my sisters
old pupils, the daughter of the matron
who has charge of the boarders. The
wedding was held at the bridegroom
house, rs is usual here. When we
came we were shown into a small
room, so full of the friends and neigh
hors of the bride, all assembled i'll the IL
smartest attire, that we did not 1T first
perceive where the queen of the day
was placed.
''She was seated OH the floor, her
head covered with red shawl, silent
and immovable, and, as etiquette de-
mands, took no notice of the visitors.
Two or three companions were busy
adjoining her !; her dress was a gay.
lowered brocaded silk, the neck and
the whole front of the corsage COW
cred with gold coins and necklaces of
gold spangles, etc. One woman was
settling these gold ornaments, while
another was fastening a{splendid set of
diamonds on band Of white cloth for
security. These diamonds, consisting
of kind of diadem and several strings
and chains, were very costly, and had
been lent by 4 Moslem friend for the
purpose, The ornaments of the we'd
ding dress are generally either Dor.
rowed or hired. When all was ready.
thick white scarf handkerchief, with
Il broad fringe Of gold embroidery on
it, was bound over her head. one end
hanging down square over her face and
entirely concealing it. Over this the
diamonds were carefully adjusted,
making very rich and brilliant ap.
pearance and over all Il large white
muslin veil was flung, and adjusted
Overt her arms. Thus blindfolded and
bound, she sat like an idol statue to be
looked at, while sherbet was handed
round and compliments exchanged.
1--WE then passed into larger room
where the ceremony was to be per-
formed. The Coptic patriarch, who
knew the bridegroom, had come to
preside himself. He and two or three
attendant priests in large black tur.
bans were at one end of the room, a
table, with lighted candles, in the
midst; on the other side, a row of
chorister boys, in white robes and bro
caded scarfs, and the men who were
friends or relatives, assembled round.
The women were in an inner room, but
We were allowed to remain where the
priests were conducting the service.
The bridegroom, dark-faced Abyssin.
ian, sat opposite the patriarch with a
brocaded mantle tied over his Shout
ders. The service was very long; the
greater part consisted of prayers or
psalms chanted in the Coptic language
by the choristers, and quite unintel.
ligible to any one present unless it
were the patriarch himself. But I was
to observe that there was good deal
of Scripture read ,and that all of it was
in Arabic and consequently could be
followed by the audience. A portion
of the first chapter of St. Johns Cos.
pei was read by u priest and part of
the fifth chapter of Ephesians, at the
patriarch's request, by Mr.. NJ. Shakoor.
After nearly an hour readining and
chanting, the bride was led in by her
uncle and an attendant woman, who
wrapped in a read shawl. She was
placed on the divan beside the BRIDE
groom land then priest first threw an
embroidered veil or mantle over the
sh0lders of the two, so as to shelter
both together, and then placed two
pasteboad gilt crowns ON their heads.
Then he hid book over them, and
read an EXPLORATION in Arabic !; after
which he laid hand on the head of
each. and gently knocked them togeth-
er, which operation could not be per.
formed without a general smile. Then
two rings were produced, the hands
Joined under the brides veil, and the
rings put on by the priest. All this
time the pair sat quite passive-not a
word spoken by either ; and after some
more prayers read in Arabac, and
some Coptic chanting, the whole was
concluded, and the bride, still in her
blindfOlded conditien, was marched
off by her attendants to the woman's
room to receive the visits of her
female acQuaintenc. while the hus
band went up to solute the patriarch,
kissing small cross he held in his
hand, and in return having his bridal
mantle unfastened by the great man.
"After all was over, Mr. Shakoor
asked and obtained permission for
some of the brides old school.fellows
to sing one Of their hymns, which they
did very nicely, led by their excellent
teacher. 1t was the FIRST time prob
ably that the patriarch had ever heard
a gospel hymn in his own tongue; he
expressed his delight in the warmest
terms, and actually sent next day to
ask for q hymn-book to take for him.
self. And here l should mention that
the patriarch has shown himself uni
formly most friendly to my sisters
schools, treated the missionaries with
marked courtesy-he is aware of their
difference of opinion, of course; but in
spite of all the disadvantages of being
brought up in an unreformed church
he seems to have genuine value for
and love of the Word of God. On one
of his female acquaintance, the mo.
Their of the school, telling him she was
learning to read, he encouraged her
to persevere. and promised to give
her himself New Testament as soon
as she should be sufficiently advanced
to read it. He is known as a man of
liberal views. We were
glad to observe that during the whole
ceremony of the marriage no allusion
was made to the Virgin or Saints, nor
was any picture or image presented
for Worship
What q pleasure it is to give! There
would be no rich people if they were
capable Of feeling this,