The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1896-10-22
SCOTCH FISHER FOLK.
Quaint Wedding Customs In the
Coast Villages.
The Bride IL Installed as Housewife by
the Breaking Of Bread Above Tier
Head-The Concluding
Ceremony.

Intention" have been not only obvious
to the community, but assumed with
out catechisntz by lhe lady's father.
/ But so soon az tile CONTRASTING parties
have come to nn UNDERSTANDING. the in
tendant bridegroom accompanied by
two or three bachelor friends. calls
upon the father of his inamointa. to de.
mand her hand in marriage. The origin
OF this escort is, perhaps, capable of
more than one Interpretation. IL is to-
day, indeed, nothing more than piece
of etiquette. but il may be relic of
time when escorts were not without
their protective use in the event OF any
difficulty arising between the parties,
or when witnesses to such an interview
were actually members of the suitor's
family
Yet that even now there may be oc
casions on which the persuasions of the
bridegroom's friends may be rot with
out service would appear from The fol
lowing conversation between the Sis
ter of an expectant bride aud n friend
1.-THE case being marriage with farm
servant): Sistcr-..Oor James ga'en to
get married" Friend Wha' xvi ~
Sister-"Ga'cn to marry great coun-
try muck-the-byre. He Gamma shell
mushel nor yet bait line" Friend
San what the deuce guild will he hc?"
Sistcr-"Dinna ken. But he and his
ladties brought in three mutchins. and
my father said: 'A'richt.'" Friend =
swell. she'll rue't!' The consent of the
brides father having been obtained,
the happy sutton. accompanied by that
worthy % his deputy, proceeds on the
following day to the registrar to exc
cute the legal part OF the contract,
commonly termed 1.-THE booking" This
prosaic business dispatched. on the
Saturday of the same week the bride
groom gives an evening party as for
NAL announcement of his approaching
marriage; q graceful custom. much to
be commended. With this very fitly
ends the first of the three weeks.
On the following Monday, the bride,
with her parents. shows her acceptance
of the position by proceeding to the
town in quest of her trousseau--an ex-
petition of no less Importance than in
Belgravia, though conducted, it may be,
with singular deviations from the cur
rent mode. Follows a period of Gains
devoted to the construction of gar
ments which no layman is more worthy
to investigate in a Scottish village than
he is in the West End. At the expira-
ton of this. and strictly on the Satur-
day, bride with bridesmaids on the one
hand, bridegroom with grooms on the
other, respectively make a house-to-
house visiting round. to invite their
guests to the wedding. Thus closes the
second week. On the Tuesday of the
third and last, a very classical scene is
played The bride. with her maids,
visits her future home. where they to-
gether bake the bread for the marriage
feast; which, by the way, gives her an
opportunity of criticisiug the bride
groom's view of "what is what" On
the succeeding evening party, for men
alone. is given at the house of the
brides father, the ladies being only in
vited TO inspect ''the bonnie things"
the wedding presents. set out in the
houses of bride and bridegroom. In
these crockery plays the chief part; the
walls of the new home being almost
concealed with jugs. plates and dishes
by the score; than which array nothing
gives q more comfortable. IL shop-like,
aspect tn the cosy interior of fisher
mans kitchen. When this exhibition
has beenduly honored. the bridegroom
presents first and then the brides are,
on the following evening. conveyed to
the new home.
Two days now intervene. and each of
these is marked by curious ceremonies
On the night of the first. the feet of the
bride are bathed Ivy her maids IN her
mothers house; while in the bride
groom's his friends perform that Office
for him. On the night of the secoud
the bridegroom and his best man o.
cupy the marriage bed together The
origin OF these ceremonies is worthy of
investigation. On the Saturday. the
wedding day, while the young men run
up gay flags over the house of the
bridegroom, the bride sets off TO church
under charge of the best man and his
comrade; the bridegroom, carving
wand with blue ribbon, follows, re-
companied by the two bridesmaids
The wedding celebrated, the bride is
escorted to her new home, and installed
as housewife by the simple and pretty
act of breaking an oaten banroch
above her head. The day is wound IN
with festivities, and the next day (the
Sabbath) the pair are escorted to kirk
by their relations. This is called "the
kirking."
Truly a very decent conclusion of
single life and proper beginning of a
welded. Standard.