The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1897-07-22
4 CURIOUS OLD CUSTOM.
Marriage Market at Whitsuntide In Rus
STA Attracted Many Visitors.

Marriage Market at Whitsuntide In Rus
STA Attracted Many Visitors.
A correspondent in the London
Lady writes the following:
A curious custom connected with
Whitsuntide used to prevail previ-
Gus to and as late as the early half
of the present century in Russia
namely, that of holding a public
market, at which all the marriage
able women were on view, with the
sole object of forming matrimonial
alliances with the many bachelors
who attended this curious annual
show in the hope of being able to
select wives. It was always held on
the afternoon of each Whit Sunday
at the summer gardens in st. Peters
burg, which is one Of the most popu-
lar places of resort. Here the Rus
sian girls who were anxious to find
husbands used to assemble in great
numbers, accompanied by their
relatives and friends
In short time the gardens were
filled with men who were on the
lookout for wives and who walked
about inspecting the different maid
ems, who were invariably dressed in
the most becoming clothes they pos
sessed, and all their jewelry. AS a
rule each maiden held in her hand
a number of silver spoons or large
silver ladle, or some other house
hold article of greater or lesser
value. This was a token that she
could bring something of value to
her husband which would help to-
ward the furnishing and setting up
of the house.
When man saw a girl whom he
thought likely to suit him and to
make a good wife, or one with
whose beauty he was struck, he en-
tered into conversation with the
different members of her family
who surrounded her, or, if she had
none, with the marriage broker or
saleswoman, who for a small sum
conducted all the business negotia-
tions, with a view to finding out
more about the maiden and the
amount of her dowry. The latter
being of such Importance in the
transaction, it often was the first
and leading question, and if it
proved satisfactory the rest of the
business followed. The man stated
his position in life and the amount
of his worldly goods and gave his
name and address to the girls
friends.
In the evening the girl and her
friends retired and held kind of
family conclave, when the merits
and demerits of each candidate
were fully discussed and comment
ed upon The most eligible sutton
was selected, and the girl was asked
if she would decide to accept him.
This was generally merely formal
observance, as all through the discus
sion the maiden had taken the prom
inent part herself, and, provided
the man. worldly goods were sufi-
cient for her liking, she agreed read
lily enough. If, however, she was
difficult to please and would have
nothing to do with any of the pro-
posed suitors, she had no alterna-
| tive but to return to her home and
wait until the following Whitsun-
tide and again attend the market,
hoping some one more to her fancy
might appear next time. This,
however, was seldom the case, and
it was not often that the same can
didate appeared two years running
in the summer gardens on Whit
Sunday.
A correspondent, writing in 1851,
who had been present at one Of
these ann ual markets, said that in
spite of the custom having been at
one time very general it was by
that date slowly dying out, and that
there were comparatively few can
didates for marriage that year, and
he thought the custom must eventu-
ally be totally abandoned. He at
tributed this to the influence of out
side European opinions and tastes,
which were gradually spreading all
over the different parts of Russia.