News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1884-01-03
4 LONG WAY FROM HOME.
THE MAINE COLONY IN JAFFA.
Dne of the Few Survivors Gives its Brief
HistOry-MarrIaRe Rites Among the
from the Lewiston Me Journal

n From the Lewiston (Me.) Journal
J, Our Maine boy-guide, Willie, has s
!. mother, widow, whose husband has
e died since the Maine colony came tc
q Jaffa. Willie escorts us to the suburbs
$ among some low, stone houses, with flat
masonry roofs, supported by heavy stone
arches-mere cells. There are number
less dogs under foot and hot sun over
head, against whose rays we protect
: ourselves with umbrellas. We enter a
low doorway and see an elderly woman
sitting in a Yankee rocking chair, in a
cool, stone apartment, with a stone floor.
sHere are Mr.. and Mrs. -, from
Maine, mother"
"Bless your dear souls Take off
your bonnet; I'm awful glad to see ye.
Never had a cali before from Maine
visitors. We'se down-easters, you know
from Jonesport, Maine. But ill-luck
has betided us ever since, many years
ago, the Maine colony came to Jaffa.
You remember after we came we had q
tent on the beach in the heat; then the
Arabs cheated US most numerically:
then we began to cheat one another
fthere were goats among the sheep
Strong drink did our people much mis-
chief. But then it was a noble idea to
restore Canaan to Gods people. / try
to live here like Christian. I tell my
Arab neighbors not to steal. 1 teach
them good morals and cleanliness; and
now go away and leave my doors un-
locked; but nothing is ever touched in
my house; l live among the Moslems
and like 'em-they're kind and hospi-
| table-better behaved than many who
| call themselves Christians in Jaffa"
There are many manners and customs
IN the east of to-day suggestive to the
Oriental customs in the Bible times. Let
us hear Mrs. Alleys account of one of
them
"My neighbor made contract of
marriage for twenty napoleons four
months ago. Since then he has given |
as much as four more in presents to the
mother of his intended bride to keep |
them to their bargain. That is the Gus
tom here among the Moslems, and the
Christians are not much better. Last |
month he wished to get married. He is
poor man, and did not have much
money by him, but he paid down, before
witnesses, fifteen napoleons, and her
father told him he should have his bride
the next week. The poor man went to
Jerusalem to buy the candles to illumi-
nate his bride when he took her home
Meantime comes the brides mother to
our place and stands under my window.
ask her to come in. She thanks me,
but will not. Neither will she sit down
until after great persuasion. Then
comes the bridegroom's mother. 'What
is it the brides mother asks?' your
son thinks to marry my daughter. Does
he think am nobody p or Am I aslave
to his father, and similar expressions.
The bridegroom's mother all this time is
saying: 'Oh you are the blessing to
my house, 1 have no other blessing but
you on earth She says this to avert
the evil eye from her son. The other
continues to say that the marriage shall
only take place at the time and place
that she the brides mother shall say,
and that her girl is too young to marry
say, You ought to have thought of
that before We talk her down to tears,
and then she sits down, talks the matter
over and goes away, the other still re-
peating, I have no blessing, only from
you
"After two or three days, the young
man comes from Jerusalem, bringing
candles; two as tall as a man, and two
fiat, short and wide,. called 'hands, for
the bride to take in her hands when she
comes out on the night of her marriage.
Now the young man begins to rave and
say they may take their girl. he won't
have her. is there no other in Jaffa
but her?' No, he won't have any one
that troubles his mother This he says
to make all right with his mother. Then
he goes to the brides mother and car
ries her something nice to eat to make
her pleased with him, but he cannot see
the bride until they are married, as it is
not considered proper with the MosIems
to speak with girl before her marriage
The poor man is now waiting impatiently
until such time as they are well satisfied
to say take her. Then he will pay the
other five napoleons [$2O1 and call in the
neighbors to make merry with him.
Some will bring drums, others the shaE-
6aabee, or shepherds pipe, to make
music as they dance, sing, and clap
their hands, the women by themselves,
and the men apart from them, in an
other room or on the house-top. They
keep this up three days.
"On the afternoon of the third day
the friends of the bridegroom now he
will have many take him to the bath,
and he must pay all the bills for them.
From there they take him to the mosque
to pray. By this time it is o'clock in
the evening, and they take him, man
to each arm, and lead him backward
with his eyes shut. He must walk that ..
way home, no matter how long the time
or the road is. The longer the time the l
better it will be for them to prepare the
bride.
"On the third morning the bride is
taken to the bath from there she is
taken to the place where she is to be
given to her husband When there.
they paint her feet, hands, and other 6
parts of her body, and dress her in seven ]
different dresses, one after the other, to
see in which she will look the best.
Now, guns are being fired, and there is t
shouting and screaming. Here comes !
the bridegroom. They come with t
torches on long poles, guns firing,
drums beating; one would think it was |
war time instead of a marriage. The
bridegroom is led i'll backward with his s
eyes shut. They set up the torches. {
candles, lamps, and all kinds of lights
around him to make great show. Now !
the bride comes in, led by two women, /
with her eyes shut and her head covered
with red lace veil. She must walk
slowly with her candle in her hand.
one women carries one of the long
candles before her and another carries
the other behind her, so she can be seen
from all points. The first time she
L, L