Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-06-15
A TURKISH WEDDING
How Marriages Are Arrsnged-A Turks Mot er
His Truest F.iend Visiting Harems Pin
Mney-How Bridegroom is Received.

A Turkish proyerb thus defiues woman at
the different periods of her age: Ten to
twenty, rest to the eye of the behoder:
thirty to forty, mother Of many boys and
girls; forty to fifty, an old woman of the de
ceitful; fifty 10 sixty, Stay her with knife"
sentiment marks il as one OF those impotent
protests wherewith Turk seeks to revenge
himself for the meddlesome part which old
women play in his domestic affairs He would
not be SO bitter against the race if he had not
found by experience that old women are more
Than match for him: and, indeed, Turkish
lady is so far from having ended her life at
fifty, that she may be said to Inaugurate at
that age quite new career of activity and
usefulness. She becomes chartered gossip,
and retails the talk of the town from harem
to harem. Having married of her own chill
dren, and being comfortably settled in the
house OF one OF her sons, she can give all her
time TO the business of other people, and oc
cupieS herself in arranging marriages. She is
treated with great respect for young women
look up to her as Shrewd adviser, and men
are afraid OF her tongue; besides il is pre-
cept of the MusSulman religion to regard grey
b lrS as crown of honor. 1t should be added
hat the doting fondness of Turkish mothers
grow old by deep attachment for the sons
part. A Turk looks upon his mother as his
;ruest friend; he pets her tenderly, goes TO her
r. counsel in all his difficulties; and he kaows
haI While out goS>iping she will always be on
he watch for opportunities to advance his
worldly affairs. In the bygOne bowstring
palace ploiS which depnsed viZierS; and their
influence as polit cal intriguerS is still as great
AS that OF dowagerS in western countries. But
as above said, the main business of their lives
s matchmaking. They talk of duyun (wed
dlngs) wherever they go; and as they have
their allotted parts as negotiators in all the
preiimlnarieS of a marriage, they affect no
secrecy in discussing this favori e subject
THE OLD LADY WHO VISITS HAREM
WITH view TO finding a bride for a male rell-
live is called geurudji Zone who inSpec.s);
cerpmpDlllS OhSprE4nppS al
attend her coming. She may be a stranger To
the house, but it Is enough that on removing
her veil and feradje Cloak she should an
nOunce her matrimonial mission, and any mar
rlageble girls whom there may be in the house
will at once be tricked out for her Inspection
II stands 10 reason that the mother of a trades
man Will not 90 and call as a geurudji upon
the wife OF a PaSha but if She did so she would
be made welcome all the same, for what We
call social distinctions are almost unknown in
country where street porterS and watermen
have often risen to the highest dignitieS in the
state, and where the greatest ladies' see no
disgrace in owning that they are daughters of
ClrcaSSlan slaves. \ Turkish lady will show
her daughterStO all who present them selves as
geurudiiS. just as an EnglishwOman will allow
her girls who are out to dance with strange,
lmpecunlouS bachelors; and, in fact, the for
mality is merely a recognition of the circum-
stance that the young lady is manageable
SO as soon as the geuruiji has been made com
missy in her best clothes and performs a mo-
deSt ObeiSance, and then the compliments be-
yin. Mach Allah! Allah's marveD lady,
| YOUR daughter is like a full moon. What eyes.
| what plumpneSS. Ii she were a slave she w0d Il
he, worth thousand purses and SO on
| When these ciyilIieS have been followed by
suitable answers from the mother, who will
| perhaps deScant on her daughters accomplish
| mentS, the Interview ends with a mutual as
>urance that I" if fate So wills it, bJth la lies
will be happy
TO ARRANGE A MARRIAGE
Ibis may lead to nothing but SuppOSing the
GeuiudJl TO mean business, She will go home
ana inform her son OF the lovely bride she has
found for him; and if his i'm lgination should
be lnttamed by her Decentralization il gen.
erallyis for those old Turkish ladies are won
der1ul word -painterS-the next step will be to
ASK Tie consent OF the girls parents in writing
Inc letter Is generally sent with present of
FRUIT and flowers, and then day is appointed
When the lover shall ride by the young lady'S
house and he examined by her through her
window grating. This very trying ordeal
sometimes produces the intimati0n that fate
IS not propltlouS, which is polite way of
sutton and does not like the look of him but
in most cases where the preliminaries have
Ceen adr0ltly managed the geurudji receives
morrow with the cry, 'Mudie, mudie; We
may. prepare our aghirlik :" Nude means
good news, and aghirlik dover, or literally
weight, as derived from the notion that a
bridegroom ought to purchase his bride
FOR HER WEIGHT IN GOLD OR SILVER:
out ms precious custom, if il ever existed
mas fallen into dlsuse, and a rich Turk now
handS over In Sllken purse about f2OD which
counts for his brides first inStament of pin
money. \ week after this the betrothal takes
pace In the brides house in the presence of
an imam, (pTiest,) who, however. is only in
;Ited for good luck, marriage being among the
huSSumans purely civil contract. A proxy
ma ma TWO witnesses represent the bridegroom,
and like number of male relatives appear
Tor the bride When the question of settle
ment has been arranged all present sign the
contract; and then the imam, going to the
door Of the harem, which stands ajar, asks the
brlde:eiect, who is out of sight but within ear
shot, II she will consent to become such a ones
VIE she must answer distinctly three times:
II viii" and from that moment she is virtu
ally married, for the wedding which takes
place few days afterwards is merely a merry
making without civil or religious ceremony.
In the interval between betrOthal and mar
rage the bridegroom may send presents to his
intended, but he is not allowed to see her: and
ne must lain nurse his fancy with the descrlp-
lions which the geurudji has given him, trust
ing the while that this person will not prove to
nave been IAN old woman of the deceitfur'
Mothers blessed with capricious sons often
some Old lady not of the family who will
remain unmoved by the bridegrOom's male
dlctlcns II the bride should not fulfill his ex-
pectatlOnS. There is a special name given by
he Turks to the imag native passion which a
man 1eelS for girl whom he has never seen.
t put whom he has heard described as marvel;
they call IL achik, as distinguished from alaka.
the more sober love felt for a woman who's
features have become familiar
A TURKISH MARRIAGE
SNcS occdSlOn IOT mucn 0StentatlOuS DISPLAY
Oh the part of the brides parents The house
ana grounds are thrown open, and mob of
men and women flock into the garden to see
The bridegroom arrive. He comes on hor,e
back. dressed in a blue frOck coat a feZ and
yellow gloves. If he be native of Turkey in
Europe; In a turban, tunic, and HAITIAN if he
pe an Aslatlc. A number of porters precede
him, scattering fruit and small coin among !
the crowd, lest they should make disparaging
remarks upon his StingineSS; but even a gem
erouS bridegroom will not altogether escaue
fire of small chaff; for there are sure to be
some who have picked up nothing in the
scramble, and these ESPECIALLY the yelled
Women) delight to hurl facetiOuS epigrams.
However, the bridegroom rides by with native
StOldlty, and, alighting at the door of the
mouse, at once aScendS the stairway between
TWO rows OF the friends Of both families who
proclaim their good wishes very noisily. At
the top of the stairs
. HIS BRIDE is WAITING FOR HIM.
all Velled In pink gauZe, and escorted by two
yenghie cadlneS (duennaS). No word is spoken,
but the bridegroom makes a low bow and con-
duets his bride by the hand to a saloon, where,
having installed her under daiS he retireS
Then an intermInabe concourSe of women, of
all ages and cOnditiOnS-friends, neighbors
beggars-burSt into the room and file through
staring at the bride, who has meanwhile !
lifted her veil. She must bear this visitation
as she can, for it is customary, and etiquette
f0rbldS her to express any annoyance il some
of the intruderS should be too free i'm their re-
be of foa ALA or