The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1895-01-04

. ing with morry voices. 1t was . Parse
wedding in d building erected especial
, ly for the marriage ceremony We cam
, to the door and proposed to 60 in, bu
+ at first were not permitted. They saw
, we were not Parsees, and that we wer,
, not even natives. So, very politely, the,
, halted us on the doorsteps This temple
of nuptials was chiefly occupied by
J women, their ears and necks and hand.
afiame with jewels or limitations 0,
jewels. BY pantomime and ges
larry, we told them we were strangers
and were curious to see by what pro
cess Parsees were married. Gradually
we worked our way inside the door.
The building and the surroundings
were illumined by hundreds of candles
in glasses and lanterns, in unique and
grotesque holdings Conversation ran
high, and laughter dubbed over, and
all was gay. Then there was a sound
of an advancing band of music,
but the instruments for the
most part were strange to our
ears and eyes. Louder and louder
were the outside voices and the wind
and stringed instruments, until the
procession halted at the door of the
temple and the bridegroom mounted
the steps. Then the music ceases, and
all the voices were still. The mother
of the bridegroom, with platter load
confronted her son and began to
address him. Then she took from
the platter bottle of perfume
and sprinkled his face with the redol-
ence. All the while speaking in a
droning tone, she took from the
platter handful of rice. throwing
some of it on his head, splitting some
of it on his shoulder, pouring some of
it on his hands. She took from the
platter a cocoanut and waved it
about his head. She lifted garland
of flowers and threw it over his neck
and boquet of flowers and put it in
his hand. Her part of the ceremony COM
pleted, the band resumed its music, and
through another door the bridegroom
was conducted into the center of the
building. The bride was in the room,
but there was nothing to designate her.
where is the bride?" l said. |
Where is the bride?" After awhile
she was made evident. The bride and |
groom were seated on chairs opposite |
each other. A white curtain was |
dropped between them so that they
could not see each other. The attend
ants put their arms under this curtain,
tool q lo0r, ,.0ra of l;rax, ond xuo,oJ ~ |
around the neck of the bride and the
groom in token that they were to be
bound together for life. Then some
silk strings were wound around
the couple, now around this
one and now around that.
Then the groom threw handful of
ice across the curtain on the head of
The bride, and the bride responded by
throwing handful of rice across the
curtain on the head of the groom.
rhereupon the curtain dropped, and
he brides chair was removed and put
beside that of the groom. Then a
PRIEST of the Parsee religion arose and
aced the couple. Before the priest
vas placed platter of rice. He began
o address the young man and woman.
We could not hear word, but we I'M
lerstoood just as we'll as if we had heard. !:
ever and anon he punctuated his I
CEREMONY by handful of rice, ,
which he picked up from the plat {
er and flung now toward the groom
nd now toward the bride. The &
CEREMONY went on unfortunately. We 4
wanted to hear the conclusion, but |,
we're told that the ceremony would go
N for long while, indeed that it q
would not conclude until o'clock in
he morning, and this was only be- /
ween Z and o'clock in the evening. g
here would be recess after awhile I
n the ceremony, but it would be taken a
p again in earnest at half past H. We r
njoyed what we had seen, but felt in l
apacitated for six more hours of we'd i
ing ceremony. silently wishing the s
ouple happy life In each others COM t
we pressed our way through i
ne throng of congratulatory Parsees. a
IL of them seemed bright and appre- a
iative of the occasion. The streets A
inside joyously sympathized with the C
inside. a
We rode on toward our hotel wish
lg that marriage in all India might be il
5 much honored as in the ceremony C.
e had that evening witnessed at the il
arsee wedding. The Hindoo women Il
re not so married. They are simply Il
lrsed into the conjugal relation. W
any of the girls are married at seven b
nd ten years of age, and some of fe
lem are grandmothers at thirty. Sc
hey can never go forth into the sun HI
ght with their faces uncovered. i'll
hey must stay at home. All Ii