The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1889-01-12
TEMPORARY MARRIAGES.
Persian Couples that Contract Honora.
ble Matrimony for Specified Time.

! A writer in the Philadelphia North
American describes one marriage
custom among the Persians which
would hardly meet with favor in
this country. A Persian couple may
enter into honorable matrimony for
any specified tine-a day, a week,
a month, six months or longer. A
priest and a written contract are
required, as in the usual form, and
a dowry and present bestowed.
Whether the transaction is entered
upon for a matter of days or years,
at it's termination each one goes
their way free of all further obliga-
tions toward each other.
This form of marriage is INDUCED
in largely by travellers and men
whose vocations take them from
place to place. A mixed party of
travelers-men, women and chilren
arrive at a village The suscepti-
BILE heart of one of the gentlemen is
touched by the charms of some rus
tic belle. The village priest is sum-
moncd forthwith, and the young
lady's father invited to the cara.
vansarai.
Il wish to be united in matri.
mony to your honored daughter,
the light of Mohammed, no, my
father" says the smitten traveller.
" "Inshallah."
Bismillah !" returns the parent,
for how long?"
"For three weeks, oh my father"
says the traveller, "aEd / will make
the settlement ten tomans-five to-
mans down and five upon our re-
turn from Meshed, the holy, three
weeks hence, when your daughter
shall be returned, thrice blessed
from having made with us pilgrim
age to Inman Riza's sanctuary"
What ten tomans-pooh, pooh,"
screams the father derisively, and
making little of the advantages of
the pilgrimage to Meshed. My
daughter is a jewel and the belle of
the village. The settlement must
be 100 tomans cash down."
The prospective bridegroom and
the father of the young lady in the
case now argue and squabble for
nearly an hour, at the end of which
time they compromise on thirty
tomens and three-quarters. The
priest draws up a marriage contract
then and there, which the groom
and the brides parents sign. In
it is stated the exact terms of the
marriage, the amount of the settle
ment and the exact time the con-
tract is to expire. The priest is fed,
the settlement money paid over to
the father, and the blushing bride,
who has had nothing to say in the
matter whatever, is handed over to
her husband. She is mounted on
an ass or bundled in kejavah and
accompanies the party on toMeshed.
Three weeks later the party halt
at the same village on their return.
The bride of three weeks slides off
her donkey, kisses her husbands
hands and returns to her parents
roof. She is now a charming young
widow, and possesses thirty tomans
and three-quarters, besides an extra
toman or SO presented by her hus-
band at parting if he has been
pleased with her conduct as
spouse. With this snug sum, and
the additional charms of her new
condition, she, of course, very soon
makes mincemeat of some worthy
young peasants heart and settles
down for life. 1t sometimes hap
pens, however, that the young bride
takes advantage of the temporary
marriage to steal away her hus-
bands heart, and then at the old
home a new marriage contract is
drawn up and she become his life
1onn holnr,oof