The Savannah morning news., 1900-07-15

ents of the bridegroom send a bridal chair
TO bring the bride to their home. 1t is
usually very gorgeous sedan chair which
has been rented for the day Musicians
accompany it and the match-makers fol-
low. bringing more presents. Arrived at
the home of the bride there is usually at
this juncture long pause in the proceed
inSS. The bride is in tears, and makes
great show of reluctance al the thought OF
leaving her home and her parents. Ere
quenly, six or seven hours pass before
sire will consent to let her maids adorn
her in the bridal robes and head-dress
sent her by the bridegroom's parents.
Slowly her finery is donned-thc red dress
with its glittering gilt ornaments, the
long red veil, the elaborate headdress
with its strings Of pearls hanging over
her face. With her hair no longer dressed
in childhood's fashion, but arranged In
the couture peculiar to a married woman,
she bids her family a fearful farewell. At
last she gets into her chair and is borne
away from her old home. Her brothers
follow her in sedan chairs to the house of
the bridegroom. The bridegroom, In gor-
geous dress comes out to meet her. he
bows, he opens the door OF her chair. one
of her maids comes up and carries her
on her back into the house. There, the
bridegroom lifts her veil and sees for the
No priest conducts the ceremony which
unites them. Together they kneel be-
fore the shrine of their ancestors, and
burn incense and candles. Humhly they
make salutation to the brIdegroom's par
cnts and receive their blessing 1t is as II
the father said to his boy: Il have brought
you up carefully l have found you II
wife. Now. you are "a man. BE good ana
be happy" There is no exchange of
words on the part Of the young people.
They would not be so bold.
After the ceremony, the Teasing begins
The parents of the bride entertain one
day those of she bridegroom two or three
men and women being Toasted in sep
arate apartments. If there bis not room
for all in the house, the bridegroom and
his friends betake themselves to a restau-
rant or hotel On the morning OF the
third day, the bride is carried home to
her parents in her bridal chair. She re-
turns to her husband that same evening,
but after a month she may visit her par
ents as often as desire and convenience
dictate on the third day the brides
parents entertain the bridegroom at
grand banquet
Engagements once contracted are sell
dom broken. A broken engagement is apt
to be interpreted as a reflection oil the
character of the girl, end the latter is
hence very 10th to have ii broken. Mar
riage is permanent institution In China.
Even the promise of marriage is held. so
sacred that many a girl whose fiance has
died before the marriage day has vowed
never TO marry. Her wish Is usually re-
spected especially If the family of her
betrothed Is rich In that case she SAYS,
II will become a widow" and goes TO
the family of her deceased bridegroom
and lives with chem rs a daughter. If
they are not wealthy, they may not care
to be burdened with her support but
She says then, 81 will serve you" and
then devotes her life to them in memory
of che man who might have been her
husband. widow who has children very
seldom, If ever. remarries, but continues
to live in the family of her late husband,
rearing his children to perpetuate the fam
lily name. If she is childless, she con-
suits the wishes of her mother-in-law,
and may feel at liberty 10 go and marry
again.
The dav when Chinese woman brings
into the world her first-born son is the
crowning day of her life Because son
is legally and morally bound to support
his parents IN old age, whereas daugh-
ter becomes, on her marriage day,
member Of another family male children
are more desired by the Chinese than are
female children. In Canton, the parents
announce a sons birth by sending to their
friends bottle Of ginger wine. The GUS
lom has its origin in the fact that ginger
is much used by a woman in her lying
in period. In acknowledgment OF the an
nouncement the friends send the child
costly presents expressive OF their wishes
for longevity and happiness.
Death is met in Gu ma with great wall
of protest. The dead mans house is fill
ed with the sound of noisy weeping al
most before the body Is cold. 1t is
piteous sight to see his children throw ing
themselves PROSTATE on the ground, beat
ing their breasts and tearing their hair.
They will neither sit on chairs nor lie on
couches. They discard their silken robes
and don white garments made of the
coarsest hemp. They fast and pray ana
keep watch over the dead body. Until
the burial takes place priests recte pray
ers at regular intervals, and The children
of the deceased weep over the corpse
stated times. 1t is not customary for
friends to send flowers, but beautiful
satin scrolls instead, on which the virtues
of the dead man are set forth. On "a cer-
Tain day these scrolls are hung up, hum
dreds OF them perhaps, and incense
burned.
The funeral frequently does not occur
until two or three weeks after death, but
the body lies all this time I'm state In rs
handsome coffin, Rich Chinese are very
particular about the good quality of the
wood for their collins. often having them
made years before there is any probabili-
ty OF their being needed. 1t is well known
that some distinguished high officials are
in the habit Of carrying their collins
around with them In their travels.
The funeral cortege is usually very i'm
posing Frineds are present in their most
official dress, and note OF mourning
added TO their splendor by the dark upper
coat donned for the occasion. Relatives
are clad IN the coarsest white, and every
body else wears band OF white about the
body. The coffin Is borne on the Shout
ders of men. the rank of the deceased be-
ing indicated somewhat by the number
whose pail II borne by only Two bearers
Eight Is the usual number, and thrty-two
the number when the deceased has been
high In official circles. In the funeral
train. Taoist and Buddhist priests always