The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1891-03-19
WEDDINGS m NORWAY.
Tho Bride Wears . Crown ana tho Oroo"
unh (nQf.

WEDDINGS III NORWAY.
Tho Bride Wears Crown and the Groom
Red Coat.
A Norwegian wedding Is very sig
nificant incident To the man it means
that he has attained a certain position.
There must be no doubt OF his apil-
ity to keep wife. II he is bond
er or freehold farmer he must have
succeeded to the farm, or his par
ents must be willing to retire
from active work and leave him SUI
preme. II he Is a houseman or laborer,
he must also have succeeded to the
allotment on the skirts Of the bond
er's farm, consisting of a cottage
and patches Of land. or he must
have attained his allotment in some
other way. lie pays rent, does work
for the bonder at fixed wages and has
his land settled upon him and his wife.
To the woman marriage is the begin
ming OF third term Of existence. The
first is childhood, which ends with con-
firmation. Dress shows each age. All
the unmarried girls in Norway wear
their hair In two plaits, and have short
skirts until they are confirmed
The ceremcny-a serious one, invOlv-
ing much preparatory training-takes
place at about the age of fifteen with
common folk. and until it is past girls
do not usually go from home to work or
earn their own living, though they as
sist in the home fields. After confirma-
ton they wear long dresses, and are ex-
k<Nd a. An1r vvsn ~ Ia
and its duties. Neither men nor women
can be married without having been
confirmed, and pastor will decline to
marry happy pair" unless they can
show evidence of ability to live.
These details will confirm my re-
mark that Norwegian wedding is full
of meaning, writes traveller. There
is yet the betrothal to notice. 1t is
really preliminary wedding. The in
tending pair go to church, and before
the clergyman and their friends indi-
cate their desire to be betrothed. Cues
tons are asked, rings of plain gold are
exchanged and the ceremony is COM
pleted by. presents of jewelry and ap-
parel that must be worn on the we'd
ding day.
One bride was about twenty-three,
should say, with ruddy complexion,
good features and large blue eyes. She
had upon her head the bridal crown,
without which few peasant women are
married in Norway. tried one on my
own head on another occasion, and
found it heavy. There is a brass rim
to fit the head, and the open silver
work above it is often gilt in
places with patches of gold
and embcllished with garnets.
Such crowns are kept as heir
looms, and it is no uncommon thing for
the women of the same household to be
married in crown that has done SINH
lar duty in the family for one or two
hundred years.
The skirt was Of black material, the
bodice was snowy white, with u corset
Of red and green, and an apron Of white,
with bands of embroidery hanging in
front of it. Around the neck and the
waist were squarly-made, dusky silver
bands, looking like an eccentric col
lection Of old buckles.
The bridegroom wore top hat"
which seemed to have been kept in his
family much after the fashion of his
intended brides crown. lie had red
waistcoat, very short in the waist, with
brass buttons on it, and singular kind
of coat, very loose, with frontal orna-
ment. TIL ere was just a suspicion Of red
piping down the side Of the trousers.
He was a muscular, sunburnt, hardy
looking man about thirty, though
probably younger than he seemed to
be. The second couple looked much
older.
The brides had their wedding-rfngs
already on their fingers, and each car
ried several handkerchiefs folded up of
various colors. These handkerchicfs
are usually presents given at the be-
trothal.
The ceremony was short. The serv-
ice and communion were over before
the professions reached the church, and
as they entered the two couples adj
vanccd to the altar, knclt down. and
then placed themselves, with their
friends. about the altar rails.
The pastor, in a black gown, with an
Elizabethan ruff around his neck, ad-
dressed a few words to the groups, and
then questioned bridegrooms and brides
in turn. Each couple then knelt, with
their hands joined together, and the pas
tor pronounced them man and wife, A
benediction concluded the service.-N.
Y. journal.