Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1879-05-30
A Chinese Wedding.

| presence of large numbers of foreign
| ers of both sexes. The bridegroom
was the second son of A-mow, the we'll
known storekeeper on the French set
tlement, and the bride was the daughter
OF family of some estate residing in
the native City of Shanghai. They
are only seventeen years Of age. The
decoration of the premises for The ec-
easion was carried out on an extensive
scale, and, as the wedding took place
at five o'clock in the evening, the effect
was much heightened by the inevitable
Chinese lantern, of divers colors and
shapes, suspended from bowers of ever
greens and flowers, arranged upon
trellised bamboOs. Several rooms in
the store were prepared for the accom-
mediation of the guests, and a stand
| outside was erected for the convenience
! of the musicians and singers.
The bride was attired sumptuously
in party-colored brocaded satin over
garment, which was, of course, sur
mounted by the red cotton bridal veil
covering the whole head and face and
hanging some distance down, being,
however, slightly open at the sides to
! permit of easier breathing. The fash
ion of this attire was that of centuries
ago-the top of the headdress bulging
out in form very similar to that seen in
ancient pictures of Israelitish priests.
Around this she wore a golden cOronet,
studded with pearls, amethysts and ru-
bies, while pendant from it were nu-
merous strings of long glass beads of
several colors, the whole presenting a
novel, if not altogether charming,
effect.
The bridegroom was clad in the en-
breidered silk robes of a white-buttou
Mandarin. He betrayed not the slight
est anxiety to lift the veil that concealed
the brides face, but, with a stOlidity
remarkable in one so young, allowed
the ceremony to proceed and himself to
be guided by the old women go-betweens
with much resignation. They placed
the bride to the right of the foot of the
family altar and the bridegroom at her
left hand, both kneeling. -
1t may not be amiss to explain how
the bride reached her father-in-laW's
house, where the nuptials are always
celebrated. On the day which has
been found by the fortune-tellers as
being propitiOus for the event, the
bridegroom sets out for the house Of
his prospective father-in-laW; but he is
always met on the way thither by an
emissary, who entreats him to return
to his own home, and not waste his
time in seeking the roof of so humble a
parsonage as his future Wife s father.
At length, persuaded of this, he returns
home and sends the bridal chair, ae-
companied by four, eight, twelve or
sixteen groOmsmen, as the case may
be-, to ask for the bride. The bridal
chair is q sine qua non of the wedding
ceremony. While the groomsmen are
being feasted, the bride is subjected to
the little maItyrdom of having some Of
her front hair pulled out and her fore
head expanded to that matronly form
which is often seen in the case of
amahs
The groomsmen having urged the
impatienee of the groom, and the long
ing with which he is looking forward
to the happy hour, they take their de-
parture, and the bride is led forth to
her parents family hall to worship her
ancestors lares of the Chinese
family religion-and her parents, the
deities incarnate of this cult. At the
termination of these simple rites, she
enters the bridal chair The music,
the lanterns, the torches, the red UNI
brella-imitatiOn of q Mandarin's turn
out-the numerous boxes and trunks,
bed-clothes and utensils indescribable,
all shining bright and red, that form
the makeup of a bridal procession, are
familiar to every foreign resident. AT
the bridegroom's house, the family
altar, as above stated, had been pre-
pared. Two candles, the nuptial
tapers, one covered with green and the
other with red Grape, were lying on
the altar front, the object of which will
be presently explained.
The bride was received at her new
home with q salute of fire-crackers and
music; and the chair was deposited,
with its devoted occupant, inside the
entrance to the hall, but ct the rear of
the altar. The chair poles were then
removed, and the female bridal attend
ants, 8 class of women who, in China,
make weddings a matter of trade, took !
their station at the door of the chair
and assisted the groom's mother in ex-
amining the door itself The origin |
of this examination was the custom |
Qong since exploded) of sealing the |
gate of the chair to make sure that the !
bride bargained for had not been
changed during the transit from her |
house to that of her husband, and an |
inferior specimen of WOmankind sub |
stituted. In the wedding under notice, |
the supposed seals being found uEln- |
iured, the mother retired, the nuptial |
tapers were lighted, and the bridal at |
tendants led the bride to the right |
hand side of the altar, and the groom |
was informed she had left the chair. |
In obedience to the call of the Master /
of Ceremonies, the pair knelt and \
wOrshiped first heaven and earth |
the Chinese ideal of a welded union |
from which all things have been born |
into existence. They then wOrshiped /
the ancestors of the bridegroom; next
his parents; each in turn shadoWing /
forth the nearer or more remote fount-
ain of existence, like the Spirit of God |
moving upon the face of the waters.
The second act was begun by two Of
the groomsmen (bOth of whose parents
must still be alive, as otherwise they |
are not qualifed) taking the nuptial
tapers 70 light the way, the groom /
gently drawing the bride by the red
and green pieces of Grape referred to /
before to the bower that had been pro-
vided for her. Arriving in the nuptial
chamber they both sat on the edge
of the bed, and the bridegroom
softly lifted the edge of the
bridal veil, and so obtained the first
peep at his wife's features. The female
attendants then Immediately put the
veil altogether aside, and the bride
groom Immediately resigned his bride
to the care of the female attendants,
who took off the veil and brides corO-
net and antique dress, and proceeded to
array her in the garb Of fashionable
lady Of the present day. The fresh
toilet completed, the bridegroom once
more led her forth unveiled to be in
spected byparents, relatives and guests,
after which she retired to the bridal
chamber, and the groom remained be-
hind TO attend to the wants of the vis-
itors.
Feasting then became the order OF
the evening, champagne, shamshu' ana
other liquors flowing in abundance
Many of the guests visited the bride IN
the nuptial chamber, where she re-
ceived them seated on the bed, which
,,,as n ,ra,.,y baudsOu1e niece of furni-