The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1882-08-16
A Wedding In Chinese High Life.

A Wedding In Chinese High Life.
Among the pure Chinese, aud espe-
rlally among the higher classes, a we'd
ding is a long aud serious affair. From
the almost Turkish strictness with
which females are secluded, it is com
p~srstively rare that a couple see each
other previous to betrothal and still
more so that there should be- any &C.
quaintance between item. This has
given rise to the necessary employ.
ment of a character equivalent to
the 6asoalam OF marriage broker
of ancient Brittany. to Mr..
Foy's Partisan Matrimonial Agency Of
fee. or the daily marriage advertise
ments of our own papers, If your wish
is for marriage in the abstract, the
broker will find you a fitting partner
first, and negotiate the transfer after. If
you are less purely philosophical, and
wish to consult your " tastes as we'll
as the interests and increase of the
nation. you are only to name the party,
and the broker becomes your accredited
ambassador. There is, however, one
preliminary point to be ascertained.
Has your intended the same u r
name as yourself? If 80, it is a faral
difficulty, as the laws of China would
not permit the marriage. If, however,
she is Chun and you are LIE, or she is
Kwan or Yu, and you rejoice in any
other patronymic mo~nosyllable, the
next step is for the broker to obtain
from each q tablet containing the name.
age, date ard hour of birth, etc. These
are then taken TO q diViner and COM
pared. to see il the union promises
happiness; if the answer is favorable
land crossing the palm with silver is
found to be as efectual with fortune.
tellers in China as it is elsewhere), and
the gates are equal, that is if the station
and wealth of the two families are sim
liar, the proposal is made in due form.
The wedding presents are then sent,
and if accepted the young couple is
considered as legally betrothed.
A lucky day must next be fixed for
the wedding, and here our friend the
divin.r is again called upon. Previous
to the great day the bridegroom gets a
new hat and takes a new name, while
the lady, whose hair has hitherto hung
down to her heels in a single heavy
plat, at the same time becomes initiated
into the style of hair.dressing prevalent
among Chinese married ladies, which
consists in twisting the hair into the
form of an exaggerated teapot and sup
porting it in that shape with a narrow
plate of gold or jade over the
forehead, and q whole system of
bodkins behind ). On the wedding
morning presents and congratulations
are sent to the bridegroom, and among
the rest a pair of geese; not sent as We
might IMAGINE by some wicked wag or
irreclaimable bachelor, as a personal
reflect IN on tie intellectual state Of his
friend, but as an emblem of domestic
unity and afe csion. The ladies, too,
in China as we'll pa elsewhere, indulge
in a lit..o fashionable crying on the
occasion, and so the relatives of the
bride spend She morning with her,
weeping over her impending de-
parture, or, move probably, their own
spinsterhood. Thew do not. how
ever, forget to bring some contributions
for her trousseau. In the evening comes
the bridegroom with o whole army OF
his friends, q procession of lanterns, a
long red cloth or silk tapestry embroi.
dered with a figure of the dragon borne on
a pole between two men, and G large
red sedan covered with carving and
gliding, and perfectly close. In this
the bride is packed up securely out OF
sight. and the whole procession, pre-
coded by a band of music and the
dragon, and closing with the brides
bandboxes, starts for home. On arrival
she is lifted over the threshold, on
which q pan Of charcoal is burning,
probably to prevent her bringing any
evil influence in with her. She
then performs the kotou to her hus-
bands father and mother, worsbips the
ancestral tablets Of her new family, and
offers prepared betel nut to the assem-
bled guests.
Up to this time she has been yelled,
but she now retires to her chamber,
where she is unveiled by her husband;
she then returns, again performs obeis-
ance to the assembled guests, and par
takes of food in company with her hus-
band; at this meal two cups of wine,
one sweetened, the o'ner with bi ter
herbs infused in it, are drank together
by the newly married pair, to symbolic
that heneeforth they must share
together LIES sweets and bitters.
The bride then -etires escorted
by the matrons present, some n
of whom recites a charm over her, and
arranges the marriage couch. The next
morning the gods of the household and
the hearth are worshiped, and the six
following days are devoted to formal
receptions at home of different mem,
bers of the two families or. equally
formal visits paid to the family Of the
bride. During the whole of this period
she still travels in her red-and.gold
sedan, and is still escorted by her band
of music and Temple Bar.