Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-04-27
A BRIDE IN RED.
Interesting Description of a MOhamme-
dan Chinese Wedding.

Interesting Description of a MOhamme-
dan Chinese Wedding.
The following description of Moham-
medan Chinese wedding is taken from a
family letter recently received by Mr..
Charles NJ. Howe, OF this city, says the
Worcester (Mass.) Spy, from his
daughter, Mrs. Grace L. Roberts, mission
airy at Kalgan, North China:
KALGAN, December 10, 1888.
Last week we attended Mo-
hammedan Chinese wedding, the first
ever attended by foreigners. | think. Miss
GarretsOn and Miss DIR. Murdoch were
also there. The wedding was on Wednes-
day. On Monday our teacher the BRIDE
groom to be- came over and brought the
invitations to US, and promised to send a
cart for us Wednesday noon. Then the
question arose: What should we send
them for presents? We thought and
talked the matter over, and finally
decided TO send two handkerchiefs, some
stereoscOpic views, one or two of my
Universal history in Chinese by Mr..
Sheffield. We sent them over early We'd
nesday morning, and prepared ourselves
for the wedding. At about 1880 the cart
came. and we went; they live only short
distance from here. We found DR.. Muir
dOc6 and Miss Garretson already there.
We seated ourselves, and they immedi-
ately brought ON some food; this the
children enjoyed immensely, much more
than we did. We were at TINS time in the
room of the bridal party, but were told
that in few minutes we would be in
YIted to another room. This was soon
done. We were then informed that the
next thing would be the arrival of the
bride. We had to wait long time but
were very pleasantly entertained by the
wife of Miss GarretsOn's teacher, a
brother of our teacher. At last the bride
came, and we were hurried into a retired
corner where we could see her enter. She
was dressed throughout in red, with gilt
figures, the clothes being bound quite
tightly about her. She had on a brass p
hat, from which was suspended little
red veil, covering her face. She was sup
ported by two women, one on each side,
and taken directly to their room. She no
sooner reached the inner door than men
and children jumped forward and smashed
in the paper window to see her. They
said that was Kalgan custom, not Mo-
hammedan. Then the women shut the
inner wooden shutters, While they should
reattire the bride. The veil was removed,
her wedding clothes were put on and her
hair covered with ornaments. Then the
shutters were opened and we were taken
in TO see her. She is supposed not TO
understand anything that is said to her on
her wedding day, but must stand or sit
with cast-dOwn eyes all day long to be
gaZed at. We then came home to return
IN the evening. At , O'Clock We went
over again. We were presently taken to
a retired room, where We could see every
thing that went on. After a little, our
teacher, beautifully dressed, came in and
paid his respects to the Mohammedau
,l,f,,.
| ately. Then he knelt with bowed head on
rug before them, and the priests began
chanting, one alter another, in Arabic.
Just as the last one finished chanting they
grabbed some walnuts from the table and
pelted him with them; and one Of the
! family pulled and tugged at him, but he
| was mm0vable. The nuts We're thrown
at him to drive Satan away. The boys
sprang for the walnuts. Then he, with
/ the priests in unison, murmured silent
prayer ? and rubbed the hands down the
body, beginning at the head. He paid his
respects again and disappeared. We saw
very little of him during the day. Before
this we had seen the marriage certificate
written out in Arabic on red paper. We
/ were again seated on the kang, and our
feast was brought in, consisting of %
| kinds, or courses. 1t is almost imp0ssi-
bic for me to eat Chinese food, but most of
TINS was really very nice. lou know the
MOhamnedans do not eat swine flesh, 50
we had only beef and chicken for meats,
! but they were prepared in various ways.
BY one course, 1 mean one bowl, from
which all were helped. We ate and
| talked, went to look at the bride once
more, and started for home at about $3.50
| O'Clock, escorted by two servants, carry
ing two large red lanterns. After this
the teacher bridegroom was allowed for
| the first time to see his bride. She had
come distance Of over 800 miles to marry
him; she was very pretty, and only about
16 years old, while he is over 30. She had
been in the city several days, only a few
doors from his house, but none OF his
family were allowed to see her. The Mo-
hammedans are very neat, especially
those who are well-tO-do. We are going
to try to get up little feast for them as
soon as convenient.