Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-04
UNIQUE MARRIAGE CUSTOMS.
Pcculiaritics of Courtship and Mar
riape in the Transvaal.

| UNIQUE MARRIAGE CUSTOMS.
Pcculiaritics of COurtship and Mar-
riare in the TransvanI.
In view of the recent brilliant strategic
military movements of the Boer forces un
der the command OF General Pet Joubert in
the war with England, 1t may be interesting
| to note some of the peculiar characteristics
| of this exclusive and retiring race Of peo-
! pie, who care for naught but to be left alone
and to govern themselves as best they see
! fit.
Their marriage customs, together with the
courtship Immediately preceding this inter-
esting event, will probably excite much
| interest as any of their quaint functions.
| After the slow thinking and often slower
moving burger makes up his mind that he
| loves the girl OF his choice he brings for her
| approval some ''lachergoot" confectionery
| II he finds favor in her eyes she will accept
| the gift which he offers with so much trepi-
dation, and then the happy suitor is allowed
| to sit in the midst OF the coffee-drinking
| family for an hour or more. If the lady re-
fuses the love token the detected suitor
| knows that she is not for him and he must
| seek elsewhere for conquests. Finally, after
enduring the agony of the coffee drinking,
he is left alone with the girl. But the wise
| tant, according to custom, puts limit on
| the length of his visit by sticking a needle
| in the wax candle, which is a mute state
ment $50 long art thou welcome, and no
longer" The happy swain sits and stares
at his inamorata until the candle burns to
the mark. Then he wisely takes his depar-
ture. IT, however he loves not wisely but
too well and overstays his time limit never
again does he have the opportunity OF see
ing his sweetheart alone.
t1a rt-I1i. hoe "a
cently certain inquiries are made as to the
young mans standing and ability to take
care of a wife, and if these are satisfactory
the wedding ceremonies are arranged. The
marriage chamber is PREPARED, the bed and
box being decked out in&white with bands
of ribbons and artificial flowers. row OF
chairs is arranged for the guests who are
to assemble witness and take part in the
ceremony.
The mud floor, il such it be. is rubbed with
bullock's blood until it glistens like polished
mahogany When the day Of the ceremony
approaches the friends and relatives, even
unto the twenty fifth degree, flock to the
house, all wearing a properly solemn and
mournful expression and greeting their aC-
quaintances in the same manner. The whole
scene appears ludicrous to stranger and
reminds one of the old saying This is
very solemn OCCASION" when all want to
laugh. Greetings being over the bride,
bridegroom and attendants march ponder
ously to the bridal chamber and the party
of assembled visitors gravely seat them
selves. After time the bridesmaid and
best man arise and conduct in with cere
mony each individual guest to wish success
to and kiss the bride and bridegroom. This
trying osculatory task being consummated,
the wedding feast which has been pre-
pared a week in advance is set on the table,
and il is almost sunset before the huge
tongues, juicy ribs. tempting quarters of
mutton, succuent spring lambs and tender
youns fowls are devoured. The groaning
table now a wreck of its former SELF is
cleared away and the real fun of the evening
begins. AS soon as everything is removed
from the great front room, which has been
cleaned and scrubbed with fresh bullocks'
blood, the women of the assembly flock into
the side rooms to attire themselves for the
evening. They reissue clad in white mus
lin gay and resplendent with bright farng
ribbons of all the striking hues from bright
scarlet, flashing orange to deep green and
blue. and over all. bedecked with huge
brass jewelry. The dancing begins as the
first tallow candles are struck up about the |
walls the music coming from a corner of
the room Bride and bridegroom open the |
Dali anu tue 10 5oOH CuNtItu WIlu |
whirling couples.
BY II o'clock the children who swarm in |
the side rooms are not to be kept quiet |
longer, even by huge lunches of bread and
cake. In shrll treble their small, piercing
childish voices rise higher and higher, finally |
drowning the scraping OF the fiddles, which |
are busily screeching out happy discord. |
Then the mothers leave the merry assembly |
for few minutes and their whilom part |
pers in the dance stand idly by waiting for |
their return. From the side rooms pande- |
monium breaks loose for a moment, then |
all Is still save an occasional whmper. |
Small heads have been knocked together by |
irate mothers. little nursemaids have had |
their ears cuffed for not maintaining better |
discipline and the small walters have been |
forced into unoccupied corners OF beds, un- !
der tables, chairs and behind boxes with a |
strict injunction to keep quiet. In half an |
hour all kinds, classes and conditions of
childish snores may be heard issuing from
the rooms where they lie cuddled in all
conceivable shapes, happily oblivious OF all |
that has passed in deep slumber. Then II !
is that 1t is dangerous to enter the side
rooms for fear OF crushing a small out |
stretched hand or chubby foot that lies !
sprawllng on the floor.
In the large room where the dancing is |
going on busy feet have broken the solid /
coating OF the floor and a cloud of fine i'm
papable dust arises that makes a halo of .
yellowsh hue around each individual candle
while the Beers OF asthmatIc tendencies are
set wheeling and coughing by the micro
scopic yellowish cloud that has filled the
room. The dancers care naught for this,
and faster and faster they fly around the
room until II is impossible to see figures at
the opposite end OF the chamber so thick
has become the dust However this shortly
ends. At ~ precisely the bride is led to the
marriage chamber and undressed by her in
innate friends the lights are then blown out
and the happy bridegroom is escorted by
The best man to his bridal chamber the key
Is given him. he hastily unlocks the door,
enters and locks it, while the Eeyel inter-