St. Tammany farmer., 1888-08-25

. ton Of the ornaments the young girl ha
been in the habit of wearing and which
are now divided among her sisters; on,
as sacrifice to tho names of the bride
grOOm's ancestors to obtain their con
sent to the marriage, and the third t.
help fill up the wide gap in the hert
that supplied the presentation beasts.
Travellers who have visited Towka. il
Central America, and enjoyed the priv
ilege Of being present at marriage
feast, concur in describing the latter as
a most amazing performance. Singular
too, is the courtship Of which the wedding
is the consummation. The little TOwkans
are betrothed at an early age. and
when that takes place two strips are
torn from roll bright-cOlOred cloth and
these the afiianced pair wear afterwards
as armlets or garters. So much i'm
portance is attached to this .'engage-
ment ring" that should either OF the
young people lose or be deprived Of it
it Is necessary to impanel a jury OF
elders, who inquire into the circum-
stances. and if there is nothing to justi-
fy an annulling Of the contract another
piece from the original roll is substitute
ed. In addition to this the betrothed
! ones wear each necklace of shells or
beads, to which one is added each year,
that correct count may be kept OF their
arriving at a marriageable age. As the
happy day approaches the preparations
are made.
There is only one ''wedding ring" in
TOwka, and that is situated in the CEN
ter Of the village. II is not composed
Of gold. but of Jumps of stone, and it is
perhaps a hundred yards in circumfer-
ence, and in the middle Is erected a
conical-shaped hut, before the aperture
to which is hung mat of palm bark.
On the marriage morn the bridegroom.
accompanied by his father and other
male relatives. makes his way to the
hut, where the bride is at pro-
sent, in charge of the matrOns
of the tribe. The ardent young fell
low has made himself as smart as his
circumstances will permit. and he car
ries large bundle. This he sets down
near the hut. at the door Of which his
father knocks. 1t is opened first few
inches, but before the old gentleman
can state his business it is r,idely shut
in his face. and, without remonstrance,
he retires. AnOther-the bridegroom's
uncle. may be-next tries his luck, with
no better success. Then the young man
unties his bundle. which contains pres
ents for the bride. and the father. top
ping again. hands in some attractive
looking article. This is not refused,
and he delivers another, and still an
other present. until the wOmen-folk
within are SO busy examining the finery
that they forget their jealous guard
OF the door and leave it open. This is
the bridegroom's opportunity. He
dashes in. seizing on his beloved ono
who, of course, is not unwilling-clasps
her in his arms and bears her off, But
he has to be quick. Burdened rs he is.
he has to make for the wedding ring"
and the old women. swarming out of
the hut. are after him. screaming and
If they catch him and
compel him to rclinquish his precious
load, all that has gone before is as
naught. He forfeits his presents,
and the preliminaries have to
be gone through all over again. |
Once within the magic circle,
however the head man himself dare not |
mOlcst him. Then commences the mer-
of which wine-b -bibbing is the |
most conspicuous feature, and in the ar
for which the TOwkans |
show themselves much superior to the |
puny efforts of civilization in the same |
direction. Bottles or bowls do not sat
isfy this noble savage of Central Amer
ica when he wishes to do honor to q |
friends espOusal-he must have boat
ful of the inspiring beverage. A canoe
is brought to the edge of the wedding
ring and filled with palm wine thickened
with honey and crushed plantain. in
which sufficient number Of calabashes |
are set floating. To the invigorating
strains OF music-the instruments con-
sisting OF sort Of pickle-jar with a
and whistles made out of |
friends and relations OF |
the newly-wedded pair (whO cOntem-
plate the exciting scene from the before
mentioned hut in the middle) join hands |
and indulge in dance and frOlic round /
The mighty wine-beaker. dipping in the
lalabashes and tippling without stint
until it is emptied. The fun generally
lasts until it is dark, and then. with
torches made Of pine splints, the COM
pany enter the ring and dance around
he hut. and, at a signal, commence to :
pull it down about the ears of the young
couple within. On this the happy hus-
,and shoulders his wife, and. amidst |
much hallooing and mirth, bears her
nome.
In his volume, ..Ten Years in Ethi-
,pia," Mr.. Hutchinson makes us ac-
luainted with the ceremony of matri-
nOny as observed at Fernando PO. A
Crown Princess, the daughter Of the
King of IssapOO, was about to make a
contract with an eligible
swain while the European gentleman
lbove mentioned was in the neighbor-.
lood, and he was invited to be present
It the great event. He was introduced
o the bridegroom while that supremely
happy individual was being dressed for
he occasion by his mother-in-law in
She had adorned his ebony
'Ody and arms with = profusion of