Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1878-01-02
A CALIFORNIA WEDDING.
How the Ceremonies Were Conducted
Twenty-Five Years Ago.

Twenty-Five Years Ago.
Jessie Benton (Mrs. Gen. FremonD in Harper for
January.
During the time [ was in San Jose /
saw in perfection the good riding of the
country. From my hammock, swung
under the open gallery of the house
where we were fortunate enough to
have a room, | heard and saw the
festivities ola California wedding These
lasted three days. 1t was q wedding
among the vaqueros, and attended,
therefore, by good riders. The brides
house was not much of a building, but
extensive temporary shelter had been
put up for dancing-rOoms, covered over
with. green boughs-a Tam0ndd. But
the point of rivalry amsng the guests
was more in riding than in dancing,
though after riding all day they would
dance all night; and all day and all
night that one air was repeated by
violins, guitars and voices, until the
drone of it got into the air, and made
as much part of it as does the whir of
locusts in the autumn months. The
first day the procession started for the
church, where the marriage was to take
place-to go down and along the
Alameda, a beautiful double avenue
Of willows, three miles in length, planted
by the early fathers. The first day
was to go to the church for the mar
riage ceremonies; the second, to take
out the bride tor a general pasear
through the town; and the third, a
series of contests and rivalries in feats
of horsemanship. There were about five
hundred horses; the riders were more
In many cases they had with them a
woman mounted on the horse; the
woman sat on the mans saddle, while
behind her, with his arm around her
waist, and holding the reins, sat the
man-just the reverse Of our country
habit. They advanced in regular order,
eight abreast, the musicians, also on
horseback, playing their violins and
guitars as calmly as though they had
floor under them. The bride sat alone
on her horse, under an arch of flowers
and ribbons, which was carried by a
groomsman on either side, the ends Of
the arch resting on their saddles, and
on either side Ofthem her bridesmaids;
the bridegroom, on an exceptionally
fine horse, surrounded by his friends;
and then the rest of the company, most
of the men riding single, but many rid
ing as [ have described, with girl on
the saddle bright, glittering mass Of
ribbons, flowers, bright beads, gold-lace;
the women in satin dresses and slippers
the men in the dress of the time in
California, which is exactly that we see
in Spanish pictures-short velvet
jackets, covered with braid and gold
embroidery, the velvet trousers open
over the full white drawers, while a
string of bells down the seam jingled
even more than do the bangles of ladies
in church. s.s.. .r.rr ga.ra.I ssatrs.H Eta
The starting point was almost facing
my place of observation. They would
form in great order and quiet, the
horses knowing the order of the pro-
ceediags evidently as well as their mas
tiers, and the signal for starting was the
exploding of tire-crackers by the hun
dred boxes under the feet Of the horses.
What with the sparks and noise, it look
ed as if the whole thing had gone up
like the end of a pantomime.
It was a point Of honor to show which
horse behaved best under these circum-
stances. The horses We're trained in the
way that has always been favorite with
Spanish people, to make any number
of dancing movements In imitation of
progress, while in reality they do not go
forward at all. | think they are trained
to this by having weights tied to their
egs. ..2 re- r
Each one was q perfect horseman
Each man did not simply ride his horse,
but was in the habit of living with it
and upon it, and was consequently in
perfect rapport. Each one of these put
in force every art known to him to ex-
hibit the spirit. and the. beauties of his
horse. AS they passed down the one
street of the town the correct thing was
for people from the side to advance and
throw fre-crackers in mass under the
horses feet; the firing of pistols was of
course; no end of little. shriH screams,
laughter, voices in every varying into
nation, couplets sung to the air which
was being played, and taken up with
shouts of laughter; the chorus by every
one who took the local illusions. With
all this the musicians played with as
much steadiness and animation as
though seated on a platform instead of
the saddle. The third day feel myself
incompetent to describe They had
their feld-sports for that day on the
large open green just by my perch in
the hammo cks. And here the evolu-
tons in small space-the rush with
which they would go, as though shot
from a bow, across, the plain; the bring
ing up all standing, without any slack
ing Of the speed, leaving them motion
less as an English horse-guard on duty;
the continuous whirls in a small circle,
winding nearer in toward the central
point, until it seemed as though man
and horse must fall from sheer dizziness;
the mounting of a vicious, screaming
young horse, which would spring like a
cat into the air, with all its legs stiffened
out and its back bowed, making one
jump this way, another that, until it
would seem as though every thing would
dislocate in its rider-were a part of the
exhibition which perfectly fascinated
Ia. 49,.