Evening star., 1901-11-09
R US S IAN WEDDIN G S
EXPENSIVE, BUT HAVE A REAL PIC
TURESQUE SIDE.
Interesting Ceremonies i'm Church and
at Old and New
Homes.


|
the father of the bride often spending his
| lifelong savings for his daughters dowry
and marriage festivities. notwithstanding
| that in many provinces the wedding con-
| ductor'' and bridesmen often bear portion
| of the expense. Russian marriages not
| made in heaven, but on the spot by go-be-
| tweens, who in many cases godparents.
| The matter of the dowry, etc, being ar
| ranged, the young people are consulted,
| and If there is any strenuous objection on
| either side the negotiations frequently fall
| through, but, a rule, children, and par
ticularly girls. are too well brought up to
set up direct opposition to the will OF their
| parents.
| Short engagements are the rule, and the
wedding follows hard upon the betrOthal,
which is almost as sacred and binding as
the marriage ceremony. Nearly all marry
young, girls at the age of sixteen and
young men at eighteen. Up to the day of
! her marriage the Russian peasant girl
| wears her long, thick hair plated in one
braid down her back. On her wedding
| morn it is either cut short divided in
| two braidS and wound around her head:
| over this the mother-in-law puts small
red cap. which ties behind, and is the badge
| of her new condition.
| The entire week previous to the wedding
| is given over to festivities in both families
| In some parts of the country the bride
| groom-elect is allowed to spend as much
| time as he likes with his betrothed, going
| to her house nearly every day and remain
| ing until it is time to close the house at
night.
! Usually the bride and her friends, who
come one afternoon week to help, make
the entire trousseau, and woe betide her if
any mistake is made, for nothing is so GER
| tain to bring misery and unhappiness in
| her new life as to have any of the stitches
/ unpicked.
DOwry and Clothes.
! The bridegroom presents the wedding cos
| tune. A brides dowry consists, besides her
wardrobe, in quantities of household linen
Kitchen utensils, silver tea and dinner ser
vice. carpets, curtains, etc. If wife die
| without children the greater portion of the
dowry may be claimed by her family. Very
rev wedding presents are given.
May is an unlucky month for weddings
and they never take place on TUESDAYS or
Thursdays, because the one is the eve of
| the day on which Christ was sold and the
| other the eve of Friday, when He was cruci-
fled. Saturday is also tabooed, because it
| Is the eve of the holy Sabbath
During the week previous to the wedding
| the bride goes about in most dolorous
| manner, weeping and wailing in stentorian
tones and entreating her relatives to break
the engagement and not send her away into
a land of strangers-even though she be go
| ing no farther than the next street The
| last evening before the wedding all of her
girl friends come to take leave of her
| There is very pretty ceremony attached
| to this evening, which may be the one from
| which the custom of making gifts to the
| bridesmaids was derived. The bride brings
out parcel which she opens and discloses
| all the ribbons, flowers. &c, which she has
| heretofore worn on her hair; these she dis
| tributes among her friends, each being con-
| sidered souvenir of good luck; when there
| are not enough to go round they are cut in
| two or three pieces.
Marriages always take place in the
! church, the guests gathered around tenn
! porary altar in the center decorated with
| flowers. As the Russian churches have no
seats, this is very convenient.
The attendants are all men, who hold the
| brides gloves when she removes them to
exchange rings; carry home for her the
piece of red carpet upon which she knelt TO
receive the nuptial benediction; distribute
| money to the poor in her name; make col
| lection for the musicians, and one of them
always dances the first quadrille with her.
The Best Mans Duties.
| The groom's best man goes with him to
the church and then makes haste to fetch
the bride. She, being prepared to leave the
house, falls on her knees before her parents
and begs them to forgive whatever offenses
she may have committed against them
| They raise her up kiss her and offer her
bread and salt typifying the necessities
| of life When she, leaves they do not close
/ the door behind her, which indicates that
1 their house is still her home.
| At stated point in the ceremony two
/
bride and groom by attendants. These are
| thrice exchanged at the command of the
| priest and it Is very funny to see what des-
| perate efforts the men make to keep the
| crowns from touching the brides head
| which would be sign Of very bad luck in
/ deed Whichever touches the red carpet
first when the pair kneel will have the upper
hand In all matters during their married
| life. Having exchanged rings, the priest
/ clasps their hands and leads them three
times around the altar in token of the Trim
| ity, the bride and groom and all the others
bearing lighted candles decorated with RIB
bons. There Is superstition that the one
whose taper has burned the slower viii
outlive the other. The candles are suppos-
i ed to have reference to the lamps which the
virgins carrted when thsy went forth to
meet the bridegroom (Matthew xxv). They
drink wine. out OF the same glass as sign
that they win share the cup OF eternal life.
His Mothers Welcome.
The ceremony concluded the bride Is taken
1 to the home of her husband, where she is
met and welcomed by his parents He then
asks the wife to remove his boots, telling
her there Is 2 purse In one and q whip in
the other. and that she must take her