The Sauk Centre herald., 1907-12-12
STRANGE CUSTOMS
Queer Ways Eastern People Have
of Doing Things
THE MARRIAGE RITES
Father Art Writes Entertainingiy
of How the Young Men Take to
Themselves Wives

Continuing his sketches of life in
the eastern countries, FL. Arzt, pastor
Of ST. Paul's Catholic church of this
CITY, writes:
Marriage is always preceded by the
betrothal, which may be concluded
at the birth. A price is fixed be-
tween the father of the bride and
the father Of the bridegroom; the
mother, as rule, has no word in
the choice. A boy or girl may be in
love with someone, but no further
notice is taken if some nearer of kin
is fit to marry. Cousins have the
first right to each other; sometimes
they may pay less than should they
be strangers, but in most cases the
sum is as large, and in this case is
spent among the members Of the
family. The price may vary thous-
and to many thousands of piastres
"a dollar is about thirty piastres). So
something near forty dollars is very
much the lowest price for girl, but
in this case she must be a cousin. In
all other cases not less than hun
dred dollars is the price first paid.
The betrothral is concluded by pay
ing a certain amount and making a
sacrifice of lamb or a goat and read.
ing the opening chapter of the Koran.
Ten or more years may pass in pay
ing this fixed price, and as long as
the last piastre remains unpaid the
betrOthal continues. When all the
money which the father has to receive
j.: paid the bride receives part from
her father. The bridegroom has to
bring bracelets of silver, ear or nose
rings, always according to his wealth;
the number is optional. Besides
these ornaments, clothes, consisting
of a many-dolored silk gown, silken
girdle and head cloth.
Eight days before the wedding in
vitations are sent round verbally and
the festivities begin Coffee is made
and handed round, water pipes are
handed to the smokers, the assembly
gathering if possible on the housetop,
the women on one side and the men
on the other, each having their songs
and dances separate These continue
with occasional firing of guns and
drinking of coffee every evening un-
til the wedding day The girls take
good deal of liberty, and sing the
praises of those they may happen to
love, but though here and only here,
courting is carried on openly; love
marriages are the exception.
A girl may be asked by her mother
Or father if such or such a person
would be to her taste, but this is not
the rule. Flirting, too, may be no.
ticed, but the men are SO strict about
the reputation of their daughters and
wives that not even the legitimate
bridegroom may be allowed to be
alone with his bride, and should any
serious consequences ensue, death
alone can expiate. When woman
Or girl is proved to have lost her in
nOcence or that she has an illegtimate
child, she is secretly condemned to
death by the family council, and the
sentence is executed as soon and as
quietly as possible; in the first place
not to scare the woman, and in the
second place to be ready for any
denial if the government should try
to intervene.
The wedding day finally arrived
All the women have put on their
best clothes and gather in the hOus1
Of the bride, hands and nails dyed
red with henna, their eyes painted
black with kohl The bride is at