The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1883-07-26

Chinese girls, however, get accustomed
to squeezing from infancy.
When the bride is seated in the chair.
her mother or some other relative locks
the door and the key is given 10 the best
man. l suppose he turns it over to the
bridegroom on reaching his house. The
procession returns with more care and
more style. l saw one during a ramble
in a Chinese town. As the bride was
borne past us we gave her three cheers.
l dare say that all her children Will be
either knock-kneed or bow-legged, be-
cause of the cheers of the barbarians.
Good luck to the poor bottled up one.
She had the best wishes of all our party,
as we followed the procession for some
squares, to the great astOnishment of all
the Cinnamon on the street. The column
was headed by number of the brides
family with tablets of rank. The tab
let's were carried by boys in red jackets
and parti-cOlOred hats. Other bows.
dressed similarly, bore large lanterns of
various cOlOrs. There were a num-
Der of wooden dragonheads in the
procession. An old man, gorgeously
dressed, carried an umbrella to hold
over the bride when she alighted. Young
lads followed playing on drums, flies,
score of tables carried by groups of men,
and covered with the brides rousseau.
The tables were canopied and were
trimmed in gilt and red. The first was
covered with rolls of silk, satin and
other gear for dresses. Next came a
table laden with shoes, pink, blue,
mauve, red, and all colors, very small
and prettily arranged. Then came
tables of jewelry and hair ornaments,
and one covered with trinkets and use
full articles, all made of ivory. Another
table, was laden with fruit, cakes and
preserves. Next came the cooking uten-
sis, borne by the friends of the bride and
groom, and last of all the sedan of the
bride.
As the procession approached the
bridegroOm's door a band stationed
there struck up tune, and fire-cracl1-
ers were let off by the box until the
bride was carried within the gate. The
go-between then got the keys from the
bridegroom and opened the door of the
sedan chair. As the bride alighted she
was saluted by a small child at the side
Of the old man. The groom was clos
eted within the house, and she went in
to seek him. She still wore the enOr-
nous hat and mantle. When she found
the groom he greeted her with great
gravity. They both approached the an
cestral table and bowed their heads
three times. They next took seats at
small table bearing two goblets tied to-
gether with thread and containing wine
The gO-between severed the thread, but
the bride failed to quench her thirst,
owing to the enormous hat and mantle.
The two were now man and wife.
The husband took the hat and mantle
from the bride, and for the first time in
his life had look at her. After he bad
looked at her for some minutes be called
in his friends and guests. They scru-
tinized hen and made no bones of ex-
pressing their opinions concerning her
charms. The females gave their tongues
full scope, and had no mercy upon the
poor bride. She took it all without
making any disagreeable answer, for
fSar that the match would be considered
an unlucky one. These cruel criticisms
ended, she was introduced TO her hug
bands parents, after which she salute1
her own father and mother. The we'd
ding feast was then served, the sexes
eating at different apartments. The
males were served by the bridegroom
and his male relatives, and the females
by the bride and her mother-in-law, as
sisted by servants. The two sexes rare
ly sit down at the same table.
Marriage is very common among the
Chinese. You hardly ever come across
a girl of sixteen or eighteen who is not
tied down to some man.