The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1905-01-19

III 80V8QC0
Six Months 30 cents
that the ladies in our party saw for the
first time one of the prittiest sights in
Norway-a country wedding.
A country wedding in Norway is, it
must be owned, very different affair
from that of country wedding in
America. There is no going to
minister, or any other person, to get
married on the quiet. Such things are
impossible there. When two parties
have agreed to become one the prepa-
ration for the wedding begins, tho the
wedding will not, as a rule, take place
for year-and sometimes two or more
afterwards. A country wedding in
Norway generally lasts four days.
There are no cards or written invita-
tions sent out. About two weeks
before the wedding is to take place the
Kjogemaster (the person who has
charge of all the details of the we'd
ding) goes from house to house and
alike are invited for miles around
Then the invited guests begin to
prepare for the great event. The
ladies begin to bake all kinds of cakes
and such other things as are used in
that country. For, be it understood,
all guests are expected to bring a
quantity of eatables such as are used at
such great events. On the day before
the wedding all that has been prepared
in this line is brought to where the
wedding is to take place. On the day
of the wedding all guests arrive early
and are met at the gate by the Kjoge-
master, who sees to it that every person
is provided with drink of wine or
homemade beer. Then you are taken
to meet the bridegroom and bride to
'|ss5e 1e. Wfien all guests have arrived the
first meal is served, which is splendid
one indeed. When this is finished
every one that intends to be with the
bridal party at church gets ready.
The church may be miles away, but the
hour they must be there is generally
fixed by the minister weeks ahead.
There may be as many as hundred
rigs in a bridal party, and most of the
young men are on horseback and have
the most spirited horses. In going
!; home from church there is horse rae
ing, and the person who can reach the
gate where the wedding is held first is
] presented with the finest. bottle of
wine the bridegroom has furnished
for the wedding.
The wedding at Old0ren was not
just such as the one 1 have described
here. But. nevertheless, it was q
country wedding. The charming bride,
, Pernilla, in her bridal ornaments, had
our heartiest sympathy, and /, happen
r ing to catch sight of the fiddler stand
{ ing idly by the churchyard gate when
! the ceremony was over, brought him
into the hotel and set every one dane
+ ing. Anna Knudsen, the clever and
J. charming manager of the inn, volun-
8 teered to try the spring dams with me.
+ The hamlet was searched for dancers
t of the halling, and the women showed
4 us the pretty jelster and the tretur.
!. By degrees all the population of the
@ place crowded in as spectators, and
g soon Johannes and Pernilla, the bride
d and bridegroom, made their way
@ through the throng, and, each carrying
d a decanter, approached the visitors,
o shook hands with them, and begged
g that they would drink their health.
IS "There was something strangely sim
h pie and charming about the whole
,s thing. Such a scene could not have
s. been found in any other country save
d in grand, free old Norway, where false
j. standards of worth are abolished, and
Is where mutual respect and equal rights
t. bind each to each in true brother.
,r hood" said the ladies of our party.
IS The day after the wedding we spent
8, on the BrixdaPs glacier, rowing all
ID together up the lake, but in the even.
" ing we walked up the beautiful valley
"This is just like the land of Beulah,'
W said one of the ladies, "and the glacier
q, is the celestial city. How wonderful
r those broken pinnacles of ice are!"
at "Lookl lookp said Miss T.. "Thert
1e in front of us is the Koinnafos, look
e. ing like thread of white on the darl
rt rock; and over to the right II
" Framness!" AS we looked the SUI
as retreated behind the hills. Our travel
IN were over for the day. A. r.