The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-07-21
A TURKISH WEDDING.
Iiow Marriages Are Arranged and Con-
Quoted In Ottoman Society.
New York Commercially


geurudjis, just as an English woman
will allow her girls who are "out" to
dance with strange, impecunious baehe-
Tors and, in fact, the formality ia mere
Nv b recognition Of the circumstances
that the young lady is manageable.
SO, as soon as the geurudii has been
made comfortable with coffee, In comes
the Turkish missy in her best clothes
and performs modest obei5anoe, and
then the compliments begin. ''Mach
Allahi (Allah's marveD lady, your
daughter Is like o full moon. What
eyesl what plumpness If she were a
slave she would be- worth thousand
horses" and so on. When these civil
tiles have been followed by suitable
answers from the mother, who will per-
haps deseant on her daughters accom-
pliehments, the interview ends with
mutual assurance that eff fate 80 Wills
it, both ladies will be happy.
10 ARRANGE A MARRIAGE.
This may lead to nothing !. put. sup
posing the geurudji to meanhbusiness,
She will 90 home and inform her son Of
the lovely bride she has found for him,
and IL his imagination should be in
famed by Neutrality-suspicious. gene
rally Is, for those old Turkish ladies are
wonderful word painters-th next step
will be To ask the consent Of the girls
parents in writing. The letter ia. gene
rally sent with present OF fruit and
flowers, and then q day is appointed
when the lover shall ride by the young
Iady's house, and be examined by her
through her window grating. This very
trying ordeal sometimes produces the
fntimation that "fate is not propitious,"
which is polite way OF conveying that
the young lady has seen her sutton and
does not like the looks Of him; but in
most cases where the preliminaries
have been adroitly managed the geu-
Tudii receives q favorable reply, and
greets her son on the morrow with the
cry. "Mudie, mudiel We may prepare
our aghirliki" Nude means good
news, and aghirlik dover, or literally
weight, as derived from the notion that
b Bridegroom ought to purchase his
bride
For HER WEIGHT IN GOLD OR SILVER;
but this precious custom, if IL ever ex-
listed, has fallen into disuse, and rich
Turk now hands over in silken purse
about G200, which counts for his brides
after this betrothel takes place In the
brides house in the presence of an
imam (priest,) who, however, is only in-
vited for good luck, marriage being
among the Mussulmans purely civil
contract. A proxy and two witnesses
represent the bridegroom, and like
number OF male relatives appear for the
bride. When the question OF settle
Snent has been arranged all present
sign the contract; and then the imam,
going to the door of the haren. which
stands ajar, asks the bride.elect, who is
out of sight but within earshort. II she
will consent to become such ones
wife. She must answer distinctly three
times: wills" and from that moment
ahe Is virtually married, for the we'd
ding which takes place few days a.
Stewards is merely merry-making,
without civil or religious ceremony. In
the interval between betrothaI and mar
Tiage the bridegroom may send pres
ents to his intended, but he Ia not
allowed TO see her, and he must fain
nurse his fancy with the descriptions
which the geurudji has given him,
trusting the while that this person will
not prove to have been IAN old woman
OF the deceitful." Mothers blessed with
caprieious sons often delegate the diff;
cult functions OF geurudja to some old
lady not Of the family, who will remain
unmoved by the bridegroom's maledic-
lions II the bride should not fulfill his
expectations. There is q special name
given by the Turks to the imaginative
passions which man feels for girl
whom be has never seen, but whom he
he's heard described as a marvel; they
call 1t achik, as distinguished from
alaka, the more sober love felt for wo-
man whose features have become fami-
liar.
a TURKISH MARRIAGE
gives occasion for much ostentatious
display on the part OF the brides pa
rents. The house and grounds are
&hrOWn open and mob OF men and
women flock into the garden to see the
bridegroom arrive. He comes on horse
back. dressed in blue frock coat, fez
and yellow gloves, IL he be native of
Turkey in Europe in a turban, tunic
and HAITIAN IL be be an Asiatio. A mum.
Der of porters precede him, scattering
fruit and small coin among the crowd,
Tor fear they should make disparaging
remarks upon his stinginess, but even a
generous bridegroom will not altogether
escape fire of small chaff; for there
are sure TO be some one who has
picked up nothing in the scramble, and
these especially the yelled womenl de-
light to hurl facetious eDigrams. How
ever, the bridegroom rides by with ma
tive stolidity, and, alighting at the door
of the house, at once ascends the stair
case between the two rows of the friends
0f both families, who proclaim their
good wishes very noisily. AT the top of
She stairs
HIS BRIDE IS WAITING FOR HIM,
III yelled in silk gaueg, and escorted by
two yenghie cadines (quenas). No word |
lis spoken, but the bridegroom makes a
low bow and conducts his bride by the
hand to a saloon, where, having in
stalled her under dais, he retires.
Then an interminable concourse OF
women, of all ages and conditions
friends, neighbors, beggars burst into !