, 1888-08-16
THE NUPTlAL KNOT.
MARRIAGE CUSTOMS AND cEREMo-
MES OF MANY LANDS.

Weddings Among the Primitive jews.
Among the Ancient BabyIontans- In
on Norway-The Laws of Scotland.
Ireland. England aud Wales.
In the earliest records that have cone
down to us. very little is said about tive
m by which Il couple wcro orli
ndrily united Among the primitive jews
there was u betrothal and espousal, but
10 further formal ceremony except the
mere removal of the bride from her
fathers house to that of the bridegroom
or his father. At q later time the, cere
monies began to be more elaborate. On
the wedding day the bride would be rs
elegantly attired as her circumstances
would permit, and yelled like Rebecca. a
maid was always married on the fourth
day of the week. and u widow on the fifth
During the ceremony the father. if he
were the celebrator. would take the hand
Of his daughter and give her to the bride
groom, saying Behold, take her after
the law of Moses and lead her away If
the father did not act as celebrator the
rabbi or hend of the would
take the extremity of the scarf or gar
ment which was around the backgrounds
neck and cover the head of the bride with
it. after which he consecrated a cup OF
wine and gave 1t to the two contracting
parties
III MODERN CUSTOM.
In modern times a canopy of silk is
usually put up under which the bride
and bridegroom stand on either side Of
the parents or guardians, and in front is
the chief rabbi, standing between the two
ministers of the synagogue. Then the
bridegroom presents the ring (Which was
only a modern custom in lieu of dower)
The ring is examined by the chief rabbi,
WIN asks the lanny mon 10 thn ripr 70 Lie
own. aud being answered in the ailirlnn
tive the bridegroom places the ring upon
the forefinger of the bride, saying: ''Bc
hold. thou art sanctifed to me, according
to the law of Moses and Israel" Then
follow blessings and prayers by the
rabbi. after which one Of the synagogue
officials deposits on the ground at the
foot of the bridegroom a small board,
upon which an ordinary wine glnss is
placed The bridegroom then stamps
upon it and dashes 1t to pieces, when all
assembled cry out: "'Mazzletouri Mazzlo.
touril' GOOD luckl Good luckD Then
follow the usual handshakings and con
gratulations, and the ceremony is over.
Among the ancient Babylonians the
ceremonies were originally the same.
There were festivals lasting three days,
and in their course occurs the following
curious custom: The bridegroom was
placed within a circle of dancers. and the
guests and bystanders then proceeded to
stick small coins upon his forehead. As
the money fell 1t was caught in an open
handkerehief held under his chin. After
this a party of young men would rash
into the crowd and carry off the most
wealthy guests and lock them up in n
dark room until they paid proper ransom,
which would go to swell the dowry.
The custom that guests at u wedding
should make presents to the bride and
bridegroom Is very old; In fact, it has
been observed in all parts of the world by
many people and at all periods of the
worlds history. The old Greek, the
Roman and the Jew all did it, and 1t is a
common custom among even savage tribes
to this day. but the presents made vary
with the people making them, and with
the rank which Is given to woman in the
national customs. In old Norway the
brides wedding outfit included a shield. a
sword and an ak, 1t being supposed that
she would need these to protect herself
against her husbands blows.
THE LAWS OF SCOTLAND.
The easiest wedding to make in any
civilized country In the world at the
present time Is what Is known as n com
mon law marriage under the laws of Scot
land Such weddings nave been held
valid for at least 700 years, but labor un-
der the disadvantage of being considered
disreputable. 1.-THE leading principle"
said Lord Deas, In a Judgment delivered
by him n few years ago, 'is that consent
makes marriage. No ceremony, civil or
religious; no notice before or publication
after. no contamination, no cohabitation,
no writing, no witnesses, even, are essen
tial." A peculiar feature of this kind Of
marriage Is that the 'law of tho place
governs the marriage; hence all persons,
though not of Scottish domicile, may, by
a very little foolishness, find themselves
securely married by the operation of the
Scottish law.
In Ireland an important part of the
ceremony is a collection for the priest,
which sometimes amounts to $40 or $50.
The Irish peasantry are ingenious in do
ing this 80 as to secure the largest re-
suits, and here is one of the methods: A
wedding feast Is provided and eaten. Inn
mediately upon the removal of the cloth
the priest marries the young couple, and
the bride cake is brought in and placed
before the priest, who, putting on his
stole, blesses 1t and cuts 1t up into small
slices. which are handed around on a
large dish among the guests. Each one
takes a slice of the cake, and lays down
in the place of 1t Alienation for the priest,
consisting of pounds, crowns or shillings,
according to the ability of the donor. II
the amount given by any guest be not
considered sufficient. those present are by
no means slow in making It uncomforta-
bic for the guest until he shall pay a
proper amount.
In many places in England and Ireland
1t is considered prudent on the part of the
bride to tax care at the altar to put her
right foot before that of the bridegroom,
for then she will be sure to get the better
of him during the whole Of the married
life. This is especially prudent in Wales,
for, under the Welsh law, q husband
might administer three blows with q
stick on any part of the person Except
the head) Of his wife In case she misbe.
haved. and another directed that the stick
should not be longer than the husbands
arm nor thicker than his middle finger
Marcus Lane In Chicago Globe.