Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1884-03-14
HOW THEY WE'D IN CHINA,
A CELESTIAL CEREMONY AS DE
PICTED BY A CORRESPONDENT.
A Remarkable wedding Procession
Marriage At an Early Aze-A
Hard Feature for the Bride.

4 thtto-AScHtoCfuk lllt NIlltI Says L nuu
not been to the hotel here in Hong Kong
five minutes before my attention was dis
tracted by terrific noise. Rushing to
the front balcony, was just in time to
see quite remarkable wedding process
sion. At first, from the noise and gem
eral style of the affair, l thought it was a
funeral, but soon discovered the differ
ence. A funeral procession is more
cheerful institution than wedding pro-
cession-with the possible exception, per-
haps, of the hired mourners. Beside
this there is one other diference-the
corpse at a wedding is live one instead
of dead one. l think if l had my choice
I would rather be the dead than the live
corpse.
The inferiority of the female sex is one
OF the fundamental principles to which
the Chinese hold. Even Confucius does
not seem to have had very broad and
elevated sentiment in this regard, for he
is quoted as having said, ''Of all people,
women are the most difficult to manage
If you are familiar with them, they be-
come forward, and if you keep them at a
distance, they become discontented.n
Many women here are in the habit of
praying that they may be born men in
the next world.
But this wedding procession. First,
came dozen musicians, who were beat
ing gongs and blowing fish-horns, each
apparently without any reference to the
rest. Then followed company of men
and boys bearing flags and lanterns, after
which came a series of gilded tables with
deliberately carved and painted cano les
over them. The display of fruits was
quite tempting, and l longed for slice
of the roast pig and the roast sheep. But
there were also native dishes which by
experiment had previously found to be
far from appetizing. Thus far everything
was arranged Just as funeral procession
would be, and was composed of the same
features.
But now there was o slight departur
from the funeral order of this society.
There came magnificent sedan chair,
the windows of which were thoroughly
curtained, but which was told contained
thr happy (O bride. This gorgeous sedan
chair was followed by others, and also by
gayly decorated jinrikishas, in which were
seated the relatives of both contracting
parties. More so-called musicians fol-
lowed, and the procession wound up with
load of boxes, which I inferred con-
tanned the marriage offerings, and per.
haps the trousseau of the bride
In the north of Mongolia it is custom
airy for the native to capture his wife
after a chase, and in any part of the en-
pire the latter becomes his property when
the twain have formally been made one
flesh. Marriage usually takes place at an
immature age. In the great majority of
cases the Bridegroom never sees his in
tended wife until the wedding night all
negotiations being conducted by go-be-
tweens. This intercessor lays the suit
before the girls father, who rejects or en-
courages it just as he pleases. In case of
favorable response presents are eX-
changed, and after consulting the augu-
ries, an engagement is entered into. In
case piece of chinaware should be
broken in either home, or an article be
lost within three days of the engage
ment, this is considered good ground
for the immediate dissolution of the en-
gagement.
Astrologers determine the wedding
day, which is entirely beyond the CON
troll of the pair. The ceremony takes
place at the home of the bridegroom, to
which the bride is escorted by the
groom's ''best man," being lifted from
her sedan chair over pot of burning
charcoals at the threshold.
The bridegroom meanwhile is waiting
for his unseen duicinea in a reception
room being seated on raised dias APP
preaching this dias, the fair one pros
trates herself humbly before her future
lord. While she is in this attitude of
humility he descends benignantly to her
level, removes her veil and gazes for the
first time upon her face. Then, without
exchanging a word, they seat themselves
side by side, and each try to sit on part
OF the others gown, in order to deter
mine who is destined to hold sway in the
household. There is no real occasion
for this, since there is tacit understand
ing that it will be the man.
The trial Of skill over the pair pro-
ceeded to the ancestral hall, and there
worship heaven, earth and their ances-
tors, after which dinner is served. The
most singular feature of the wedding re-
past is enforced abstinence from all the
dainties on the part of the bride.
Later in the evening the bride will an
swer conundrums as they are propounded
to her by the guests. The wedding-day
is the last occasion upon which the wife
can enjoy the society of her husband in
public-one of the hardest and most bar
barous features of social life in China
vAfter the labor Of the day no citizen of
the Flowery Kingdom can take his wife
and family for pleasant walk at dusk;
neither can he accompany her to picnic
or public entertainment without violating
the prophecies. Of course, these restric-
lions are measurably broken down at the
open ports.
AS If it were not enough for o woman
to secure her husband by means of such
q leap in the dark the laws are such that
she may be divorced by her husband when
he gets tired of her on any one Of the fol-
lowing six grounds: Jealousy. leprosy,
stealing, disobedience to father-in-law OF
mother-in-law, barrenness and garrulous-
ness. But no offense which the husband
may commit en- tiles the wife to claim
divorce from him. Some women gointo
nunneries or commit suicide rather than
accept the burden of married life. Wild |
ows can not remarry without committing
gross breach of etiquette. In case ex-
IRENE poverty forces them to such dis
reputable measure the ceremony must be
shorn of all the "style" that characterizes
the first wedding.
A writer in juvenile magazine lately
gathered number of dictionary NA)rds