Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1897-12-03
SOME VERY OLD
MARRIAGE CUSTOMS
OSTENTATION TO CELEBRATE
THE RITE IN BAD TASTE.

a Somewhat Radical COmdemna.
tion of the Boisterous Celebration
OF Marital Rites, the Remnant
Of A"ctent Customs
By Lady Cook. nee Tennessee c. ClaAn.
When custom once becomes gen.
eral it does not easily disappear. The
public indecencies attending marriages
which were common not very long
ago, have been considerably modified.
Nevertheless, sufficient remain to out
rage modesty, and to invest the
ceremony with evil influences. A
union which should be sacred, I'M
Obtrusive, and unobscrved, is made as
public as may be, and surrounded
with all possible means of notoriety.
Bells are rung, a semi.pagan Christian
service is attended by a crowd of
friends and strangers, gossips crowd
Church entrance, huge bouquets and
wedding favors are Haunted even by
the attendant coachmen and footman,
and the whole is wound up by cam
pagne festivity, as though Bacchus
and Venus were the presiding deities
of the hour. Meanwhile, the young
bride, who is presumably pure in mind
and body, must sit and listen to all
sorts of speeches, whether eulogistic,
sympathetic, or suggestive. And her
lady friends, still younger it may be,
have to go through the same ordeal.
1t would be sheer hypocrisy to say
that all this may be done innoeently,
On such an occasion the crowd of on
lockers usually take the opportunity
to indulge in fiippant remarks. That
which ought to be pure and dignifed is
thus turned into show for the
sensual.
Formerly the bride was led to church
by two bachelors, called Bride-Knights,
and taken back by two married men,
while a third preceded her with
costly Bride-cup, containing" a goodly
branch of rosemary" and hung about
with many colored ribbons. 1t was
also part of their office to undress the
bridegroom and put him in to her bed.
Rushes and flowers were strewn along
the brides path. Braithwaite sang:
Think ole day, Maides, like will be done for YOU"
When Chaucer's Grisild was married,
"A couronne on hire he'd they had ydressed.'
Sometimes the nuptial crowns were
made of myrtle, flowers, or corn ears.
These, and many other customs like
the wedding-ring and bride cake, were
vestiges of Phallic worship. Even be-
fore the altar the young men used,
Immediately after the ceremony, to
struggle as to who should first pluck
off the brides garters, and these,
generally ribbons for the occasion,
were worn as trophies in their hats.
Butler in whose time this custom was
prevalent, makes Hudibras allude to
it, when he says OF the Protestation:" :"
- Which all the Saints. and some, since Martyrs,
Wore in their hats like wedding garters."
The nuptial kiss in the Church was
enjoined by the York Missal and the
Sarum Manual, and it was customary
for the young men present to salute
the bride by turns after the ceremony.
Sports and boisterous music were
always expected. In one of Ben
Jonson's plays it is said, Your we'd
ding dinner is starved with music"
In the "Christen State of Matri.
mony," published in the reign of Henry
WILL, complaint was made of the
superfluous eatyng and drinkyng"
of the wedding people" who came to
Church either" halle droncke" or "all
together" "They come with great
noyse of Harpes, Luttes, kyttes,
Basens, and Drommes, wherwyth they
trouble the whole Church and hynder
them in matters pertaining to God.
And even as they come to the Church
so they go from the Church agayne,
light, nyce, in shameful pompe and
wantonesse. After the bancket and
feast there begynneth vague, madde,
and unmannerly fashion, for the bride
must be brought into an open dancing
place. Then there is such q rennynge,
leapynge, fyngyng among them, then
there is such lyfting up and discov-
erynge of the damselles clothes and
other womenne's apparel, that a man
might think they were sworne to the
Devels Daunce." This rough hilarity
was kept up until late at night. An
old song goes:
And then they did foot II and toss 1t,
Till the Cook had brought up the Posset.
The bride-pye was brought forth
A thing of mickle worth.
And so all, at the bedside
Took leave of Arthur and his bride"
But the publicity was not yet over.
"Next morning come the fddlers and
scrape him" (the husband) wicked
ReveilIez. The drums rattle, the
shaumes tote, the trumpets sound tan
ta-ra-ra, and the whole street rings