The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-04-22
OLD : TIME WEDDINGS
Some of the Curious BetrOthal
Customs in Vogue Years Ago.
Conduct of WoOed and WOOers i'm Hea-
then as Well As Civilized Countries
The Ring and the Cake.
New York Times.


toms and practices Of antiquity in relation
to the ceremony is not perhaps, unsuited +
to the moment Beginning with the love
tokens ii is interesting to notice in these
days Of luxury, when only the most
precious and costly jewels are considered
worth offering at loves shrine. that the
knights of old counted the veriest trihe
a sufficient reward from their lady love
for the proudest deeds Of valor and chiv
airy. During the reign of Elizabeth, dainty
little handkerchefs three or four inches
square were in high favor. These were
usually embroidered by the hands of the
fair giver or ornamented with fine gold
lace. buttons, tassels and the like.
Folded so as to display the artistic work.
manship to the best advantage they were
conspicuously placed in the cap. My lady's
glove, scarf or ribbon was also similarly
worn, as is widely chroncled in story and
verse. More popular than any of these.
however, was the joint ring thus described
in Don Sebastian:
"A curious artist wrought 'em.
With joints close not to be perceived
let are they both each others counterpart.
(Her part had Juan inscrib'd and his had
Zayda)
You know, those names were theirs;
And in the midst a heart,
Divided in two halves, was placed"
OF curious affiancing customs history
gives many accounts. Parke, in his trav-
els in the interior of Africa gives a
glimpse of courtship in that remote re-
gion, where he witnessed an act of roman
tic devotion. A young Slatee, who was
about to become a benedict seated himself
one evening on a mat near the door of his
house. In a few moments a young woman,
his selected bride, approached him, bear
water. Kneeling by his side, she desired
him to battle his hands, and after he had
graciously complied with her request, with
a tear of joy glittering in her eye she put
the vessel to her lips and drank the water
This act is considered, in that part of the
world, the greatest proof of fidelity and
Equally curious is a practice in vogue
in some parts of Scotland. There, when a
young man wishes to pay court to young
woman instead of going to her father and
making known his wishes, he proceeds to
public house and confides his secret TO
the landlady.
LANDLADY GO-BETWEEN.
This sympathetic individual at once dis
patches a messenger for the object of his
affections. The summons is rarely disre-
garded. and when the girl arrives upon the
scene she is entertained In the most lavish
manner the house affords, after which the
details of the wedding are decided upon.
In Guernsey an engagement is almost as
binding a marriage. When a young man
is accepted by the lady OF his choice the
parents give them a feast, to which are
IL vited all their friends In the course Of
the entertainment the young woman is led
around the room by her prospective father
! in-law to receive congratula lions and the
young man Is similarly escorted by his
| after which they exchange rings and other
| gifts. This public announcement over. the
girl must never thereafter any account
be seen walking with anyone but her
| hance, while he is scarcely allowed 10 even
| SO much as glance at anything feminine
| These courtshps are often carried on for
years, and If in the course Of time the af-
| fectons of either undergo a change and
| the engagement be broken, half of the
property OF the inconstant one may be
| claimed by the other.
! OF significance, too, Is the remote an
| tiquty of nearly all of our marriage Gus
| toms. The use of the ring and cake at
mony itself. In an old book "Swinburn's
Treatise Of Spousals." is the following:
| ported, was one Pometheus. The workman
which made 1t was Tubal Cain. And Tubal
Cain. by the counsel of our first parent
Adam, as my author telleth me. gave it
| unto his son. TO this end. that Herewith
| he should spouse a wife like as Abraham,
delivered unto his servants with bracelets
and ear rings OF gold. The form of the
| ring being circular, that is round and with
| out end, importeth thus much, that their
| nuptial love and hearty affection should
roundly flow from one to the other as in
| a circle, and that continually and forever -
From the earliest time the third finger
| of the left hand was the one chosen to
the golden band, because of a sup
posed artery connecting that finger with
| the heart.
DREAM ON WEDDING CAKE.
Anciently the wedding cake was usually
broken over the head of the BRIDE and
then thrown among the guests to be
Scrambled" for Some times slices Of the
cake were passed through the ring nine
times and then distributed among the
friends to be carefully preserved to dream
| upon under the following conditions:
Fast any Friday in the year
When Venus mounts the starry sphere;
Thrust this, at night, in pillowbeer.
In morning slumbers you will seem
| r. enjoy your lover in dream"
! Bridesmaids have figured at weddings
since the time of the .Anglo-Saxons, but
at that period their duties were somewhat
more onerous. 1t was then their esteemed
| privilege to escort the groom to church, as
it was that of the bridegroommen to con-
duct the bride. In an old provincial poem
telling of the GOLFERS wedding is the
| verse.
1.-TWO lusty lads well-dressed and strong,
Stepped out TO lead the bride along,
And two young maids, of equal size,
AS soon the bridegroom's hands surprise
One of the oldest customs was that OF
strewing flowers from the residences of the
bride and groom to the church, men
toned in the following:
"All halle to Hymen and his wedding day
Strew flowers and quickly come away.
Strew flowers, maids, and even as yol
Think day, maids, like will be done fol
YOU"
Years ago. in England, when the bride
came from the church, Ii was usual for one
of her friends to throw wheat on her head
and when the newly-married pair entered
their own house for some one to present
them with pot of butter. OF the most re-
mote origin are the nuptial gariands, which
were much used by the heathens as by
the Jews, while the Romans considered NJ
bridal costume completed until the wreath
was added.
ANGLO-SAXON CUSTOM.
Among the Anglo-Saxons after the bene
diction was delivered. both bride and
groom were crowned. Sometimes these
chaplets were blessed. and they were fire.
quently made of myrtle. Marriage in the
Creek Church is called matrimonial corona
ton, and the wreaths used in the ceremony
are solemnly destroyed eight days after the
wedding. In some countries the bride i:
crowned with a wreath of prickles and So
! delivered unto her husband. that he MAY
know he has invited himself TO thorny
J pleasure.
| Rosemary, which was supposed L
strengthen the memory and confer numer
Gus virtues. was much used at weddings
and also carried at funerals. The following
on the "rosemarie branch" speaks of il.
double use:
Grow for two ends--it matters not at all