Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1892-12-13
A HINDOO WEDDING.
YOUTHFUL BRIDES AND ELABORATE
CEREMONIES.


Doesn't Cut Much of a Figure-GirI
Babies Are Not Popular.
In this country, where the march from
.LohengTin," white silk frock and few |
hnintelligible responses make an elaborate
wedding, the bare idea of a small twelve
year-old girl requiring nine hours to bind
herself to the man of her fathers choice |
seems absurd in the extreme. Whether |
the outlay of strength and rupees that
such an event incurs has anything to do
with the tenacious prohibition of second
marriage for the gentler sex has never been
explained but as the Hindoos are prac-
teal people and an avaricious people it
does not appear unlikely.
In the first place, with them to be a
woman and unmarried is little short of
crime yet to marry obviously one must
have money. AS an outcome of this, when
daughters are born to the poor Banian he
helps them out of the world by the simple
and negative method of not giving them
food. One man admitted, quite as mat
ter of course, having followed this up
through long succession of SOME twenty
girl babies. But if the baby's papa has
financial position that admits Of her grow
ing up, and is a Bombay Hindoo-that is,
with no prejudice against Europeans-you
may perhaps be hidden to one Of those high
functions that come for her at an age
when our children are playing with dolls.
In that case, allowing for variations in in
dividual taste, you will find the affair
something in this wise:
AT about 6 in the afternoon, when the air
has a trifle more life, and that thing they
call prickly heat is a degree less agrees
tte' you i,i'Ne 9o'i O,tS;a ~ ~ a., 80
VI. Diiue is'.i ...1S p,l 80, 80. ~
nooiOe - ~ -
nc wy Ll,,.ateId -,
0m w VI ~ ..,1tss.' -. ~,
n,s my =. q -e, ''-itL,,. 49, ,o,,
souo Lei 10 70 81 ae - 80 80,
oanno. ny "O" Hi.i -. c,air Tba
ohe e''i hHO"9 A' 80 p ''-. -
ura"ine iuoH i nv M - Eot1 49,
n t1 - "a 81
t', "e sdJ ." = oaod;n,,I,l ,rna,a 60
l, I'll, i',,i,,tt ,.i,osor sotin pv tbie
IGpSIeu ~ 81 ohairs ho.aver ono 10
Aihuiy u ."oti9' ~
en@Dieu " on q " 80 L,.,,,,. o,,,,,,.s
VI , Tel -soso,,1,d co
i ~ "''i. 49,. " Al, a. se,,a,,ir,,
nam nam .ieu an VIe Iine - - =" -
iiIiiNoo7 i,i,o" 'io 1Nel4ii,al -,
uu.y " se'aa,i =, ~" -
DuV a. " - 800,
col Inn - -,
inBly
INC ~ iuo aii', "
aoouU mo- i'i''iy, ,.iet.
Snces ine Elooi W. -
proOher .he POI s i'I ~ VI ~
saIy' puO -. - - =
ohiy loI hisn S s'.L. a.uoe .tl "Isn
priceieSs n"Lio'i =. 80. siiiat
~ io1h -.i,-a,. - ahar,,,.
Inc prIGe' On Une Contrary - 'aViei ~ III
ing. her costume CONSISTS merely oi
| ughJ nJting yellow lnuld SILK DoulCej Win
yards Of the same material swathed loosely
about her supple body and one end thrown
over the hair She is further ornamented
by earrings, finger rings, a nose ring and
bangles that reach to the shoulder; on heI
pretty ankles are the heavy anklet chains
that clink when she steps Altogether she
would be a lovely and picturesque little
object if she were only playing in tableauS
instead of pitiful real life.
But all interest in her is Immediately
snuffed out on the arrival of the nautcf
girls. They are two or more hired dancers
whose performance appears to be the mos
welcome and wonderful feature Of the en-
tire occasion. In dress they are not unlik'
our own ballet girl, wearing from tifteer
to twenty gauze skirts. The longest o
these reaches to the feet, and the other
are graduated to within half yard Of thu
waist. Their so called dance is strang
and weird, and after the first fifteen min
utes remarkably uninteresting 1t is mad
up Of a series of impossible poses, in part
so slow AS to remind one of the last twitche
Of a mechanical toy when it is nearly ruI
down. As an Indian ballad has it:
They posture, bob, whirligig, wriggle like eels
And all the time shuttle about on their heels,
Keeping time to the pipers ana tomtommers
WI, strains 81, Ill .,,.,.,. -, ..ou.u
"i'n s enS S''"A VI 'i'e' D''''''
W. III hos ,,oro or until Won are ex
''a.en Lei , in5 IL H. uas, - ,ha andiance !
s-i -. - ,,,,,,,,,,., -, No.
" ii, soa~o5 la,et ~ tha ritas Ia
~
eins a,ao,,n. 50 r,ada IN nm onto
~ az 49, a,l,La, g. u, tha oento
? ioOhi WIN a." 20 10. - -. -,