, 1878-03-01
A California Wedding TEpnty-Piy.
Years kgO.

We we're iUf'unAlc enough tp have n v,,..
heard aad saw the festivities OF n CT
tDruia wedding. Thee lasted thr-. H.
IL WAS wedding amoug vaqueros, Nd
attended, therefore, by good riders IN.
bride ; h"use was not much uf a buildin,,
but extensive temporary shelter had b.,n
put up Tor danCing-ruOm,, covered o.
with green bbugh,-a rdmadl Bn, a..
point If rivalry among the guest, va.
more iu riding than IN dancing. though
after riding ali day they would dance sI
night; aud all day snd all night that
one mir WAS repeated by vioIins, guitars
and voices, until the drone Of it rot in,n
the all, and made as much part of it a.
does the whir of lOcusts in the autumn
months. The first day the proces,ion
started for the church where the MARRIAGE
was to take place-to gn down and along
the Alameda, n beautiful double avenue
of willows, three miles in length, planted
by the early fathers. The first dsy was
to 60 to the church for tue marriage cere.
monies; the second, to take out the bride
for general pdSedr through the town:
and the third, series of contests and ri.
valries in feats of hOrsemanshiD. There
were about five hundred horses; the rid.
ers were more. In many cases they had
with them woman mounted on the
horse; the woman sat on the mans sad.
die, while behind her, with his arm
around her waist, and holding the reius
sat the man just the reverse of Our
country habit. They advanced in regu.
lar order, eight abreast, the musicians.
also, Oh horseback, playing their vlUlins
and guitars as calmly US though they had
u floor under them, The bride sat alone
on her horse, under an arch of flowers
and ribbons, which was carried BY
groom man on their saddles, and on
either side of them her bridesmaids; the
bridegroom, on an exceptionally fine
horeo, surrounded by his friends; end
then the rest of the company, most of tho
men riding singly, but many riding as |
have described, with u girl ON the saddle
a bright glittering mass of ribbons,
flowers, bright beads, gold-luce; the
women in satin dresses and slippers, the
men in the dress Of the time of California,
which is exactly that we see in Spanish
pictures - short velvet jackets covered
with braid and gold embroidery, the vel
vet trousers open over full white draw.
ers, while string Of bells down the seam
jingled even more than do the bangles Of
ladies in church.
The starting. point was almost facing
my place of observation. They would
form in great order and quiet, the horses
knowing the order of proceedings evil
IDENTIFY as well as their masters, and the
signal for starting was the exploding of
fre.crsckers by the hundred boxes under
the feet of the horses. What with the
sparks and noise, it looked as if the
whole thing had gone up like the end Of
pantomime. '.a
1t was point of honor to show which
horse behaved best under these circum-
stances. The horses were trained in the
way that has always been favorito with
Spanish people, to make any number Of
dancing movements in imitation OF pro-
gress, while in reality they do not go ior-
ward at all. think they are trained to
this by having weights tied to their legs.
Each one was perfect hqrseman.
Each man did not simply ride his horse,
but was in the habit of living with 1t and
upon it, and was consequently in perfect
rlpport. Each one of these put in force
every art known to him to exhibit the
spirit and the beauties of his horse, As
they passed down one street of the town
the correct thing was for people from the
side to advance and throw tire.crackers
in mass under the horses feet; the firing
of pistols was of course in order; no END
of little shrill screams, laughter, voices
in every varying intonation, couples
sung 10 the air which was being played
and taken up with shouts Of laughter;
the chorus by every one who took thc To-
cal illusions. With all this the musicians
played with as much steadiness aud AMI
maton as though seated on platform
instead of the saddle.
The third day l feel myself incomPe,'
tent to describe. They had their he'u;
sports for that day on the large open
green just by my perch in the hammocA.
And here the evOlutions in a small spacs
the rush with which they would go, as
if shot from bow, across the plain; tue
bringing up all standing, without any
Stacking of the speed, leaving them mo-
tionless as an Euglish Horse guard on
duty; the continuous whirls IN sman
circle, winding nearer and nearer In 70,
ward the central point, until it seemeu
as though man and horse must fall from
sheer dizziness; the mounting OF q
vicious, screaming young horse. "hiVs WHICH,
would spring like cat into the air WIN
all its legs stiffened out and its DacA
bowed, making one jump this way, aI,
other that, until it would seem as though
everything would disIocate its rlder
were part of the exhibition when Pe..
fectly fascinated me.--JeSsie Bent0" ff''
mont, in Hdypsr's MGgdzta0.
A MAN named Sears, living near SCUM
i ! i L. Il a. irnlllIe In