Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-09-17
MARRIAGE IN CHINA.
WHAT THE YOUTHFUL CHINESE
BRIDE HAS TO UNDERGO.

| A fair representative of the woman of
+, China may be found in the old city of
| Marking. She has been taught from
| earliest childhood that if heaven so smile
| upon her as to give her husband she
| must be humbly grateful, and yet the
| wedding day of a Marking woman, al
| though great care has been taken to select
| lucky day, ushers her into life of the
| greatest uncertainty.
| The parties entering into the marriage
| relation have not chosen each other at all,
| but have been chosen for each other by
| persons duly appointed according to the
| wish of the parents, and as a rule have
| never seen each other.
| Today is the suspicious day, the one
| which the gods favor, the wedding day,
| and let US follow our Chinese sister as she
prepares to leave her mothers house. All
| day long she lies in bed, in quiet medita-
| ton. She eats no hearty food, but her ap-
| petite is tempted with rice Cruel and few
| other delicacies About noon the groom
comes to pay his respects to her mother.
| He kctows to her Dumps his forehead on
the floor and to all the important mem
| bers of the family.
| He has sent, three days before, the beau
| tiful scarlet silk wedding clothes; beauti-
| full indeed they are, and of priceless value
| in Chinese eyes, as they are the emblem of
the first wife.
Twelve o'clock, midnight, is a favorite
wedding hour As the evening comes on
and wears away preparations proceed. The
gorgeous red bridal chair, decked with Ian
terms. is waiting outside and the musicians
are ready with their pipes, eager to play
their joyful strains. Two women of great
good fortune, having living husbands,
sons and daughters, dressed in their own
scarlet wedding clothes, friends of her
mother, act as bridesmaids.
When all is ready to make the brides
toilet one of them steps to the door and an
nounces, THE bride is about to take a
bath" The musicians begin to play. 1.-THE
bride is dressing" Another strain from
the pipes. The bride is having her hair
combed," and yet another strain sounds
forth on the evening air. A peck of rice is
poured upon the floor, and when the
brides toilet is completed she is placed
upon this and from it is carried to the
chair by some male member of the family,
as on no account must she step upon the
floor or the ground after she is dressed in
entirely new clothing, for she must not in
cur the displeasure of the gods by carry
ing anything the least soiled to her hus-
bands home.
As she is placed in the chair the doors
are sealed, and to the music of the pipes
she begins her solitary ride to her future
home. When the half way point is reached
the chair coolies and the helping mother,
n servant who always accompanies her,
call out, oh, bride, your crying time is
up, we shall soon reach your husbands
home" To have the marks of tears on
her face as she arrives would bring i'll luck
to the family, and so she smothers all sad
feelings, and heralded by the weird music
is borne along to meet her fate.
At the end of the journey instead of find
ing an eager crowd to welcome her to her
new home, the chair is put down, the mu
sic ceases. and she is required to sit in
silent meditation until the exact time
rives for the worship of heaven and earth,
fixed by the parties who arranged for the
marriage This sitting in silence is con-
sidered very important part of the cere-
mony by the mother-in-law, for without
this discipline, this quelling of all excite
ment, the bride might prove a quarrel
some member of the family.
At the proper moment the chair is
opened. Here two other ladies, very for
tunate III having husbands, sons and
daughters, also dressed in scarlet, come
out to assist the bride. A way spread with
rice has been prepared and the helping
mother slips a pair of the bridegroom's
shoes never worn before over the brides,
saying as she does so, May they grow old
together and all the affairs of life be pros
porous"
There are various ways of escorting the
bride to the bridal chamber. A favorite
way is TO give the groom the red end of a
silk cloth and the bride the green end, and
after they together worship heaven and
earth he leads her to the marriage room.
With bowed heads they sit upon the bed
and each drinks n sip Of tea or wine from
his own cup, then the contents of both cups
are poured into one and they each drink
from it, and the marriage ceremony is
over.
Now follows the sight of each other. The
anxious husband for the first time knows
whether his wife is handsome or not, and
to the trembling bride is revealed her bfe
long companion.
At this juncture the doors are thrown
open, the groom retires, and the kindred,
friends and neigh bors come in to see the
bride This is n time of great merriment,
but the bride must sit in quiet with bowed
head and make no resistance or answer, or
even allow herself to smile, as all sorts of
jokes are played upon her. Congratula-
tons to the mother-in-law pour in from all
sides III the bride should prove homely
the Jokes are few and the mirth of short
duration, lest the anger OF the husband be
unduly excited.
On the first day the bride does not pre-
sumo to speak, and in the presence of her
husband she is dumb for three days, but
all this time GENE visitors to see the bride.
There she must sit and listen to remarks
about herself whether complimentary or
otherwise. On the third day she is for
mally introduced to the members of the
family that she may always distinguish
between those of greater and less fmpor-
tance. The bride and groom stand to-
gether with some one at their side who
announces, '"The father-in-law and the
mother-in-law." The pair then kotow to
them four times The paternal uncles
and aunts are next announced and so on
until the pair have kotowed TO all the rel
atives except the younger brothers and
sisters. to whom they make q bow with