Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1908-02-28
Marriage Customs
Of Many Lands

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observes the Boston Globe, brides and
grooms are eager TO rehearse IL care
fully so as not tn mar its enchanting
loneliness.
The Parsee groom must go with
hand to the brides house, first having
sent ahead presents OF considerable
value, varying according to his iinan-
oia condition. At the threshold his
FIXTURE mother in law meets him with
smile and dish of fruits, which she
scatters at his feet.
Then the bride comes forth, and she
and tho groom are fed into a room
where their hands are tied together
with a silken cord. AS the ceremony
pr oceeds the cords are passed around
their bodies until they are LITERALLY
spliced. When at length they are re-
leased they are permitted to throw
rice at each other. The victor in the
rice-t throwing contest is supposed to
be the one who shall boss the home
nest. Then both are pelted with rice
and showered with rose water.
In Java the bride and groom are
rubbed with the ashes of the red
dogs bones, while in Pennsylvania
gypsy bridal couples are rubbed with
weasel skin. In Thibet the BRIDES
parents put home made butter on the
head of their future son-in-law, while
in certain parts of Wales the father
drives away on horse back with his
daughter, pursued by the groom, but
like true parent, he allows himself
to be overtaken. In Syria the bride
and her parents ride to the home of
the groom. The latter comes out to
greet his wife-to-be. he parents, 10
doubt, wishing to conceal their eager
ness to get rid of their daughter,
make show of resistance. Firearms
are discharged, but the cartridges are
blank, and, consequently, no one is
hurt, and The pretending to- be-reluct
ant bride finally yields to her lovers
entreaties as the eighteenth century
novelist would say.
In Bengal it was once the rule to
marry bride and groom first to trees,
and, indeed, the custom is not yet
wholly extinct. The bride was led
up to mahwa tree. In her hand she
held some red lead with which she
smeared the bark and then clasped
the trunk in fond embrace. This
done, the attendants lashed her as
tightly to the tree as ever Farragut
was to the mast at Hartford. 1t was
the bride groom's tnrn next. But in-
stead of splicing him to the mahwa,
they spliced him to the mango tree,
appropriately enough if one considers
the spelling of the names of these
arboreal spouses. How long they
were kept in that position the histor-
ian does not say, but goes on to tell
how in ancient Mexico the garments
of bride and groom we're tied together
in a huge knot. Then the couple
were marched ten times around
/ fire, into which they drew incense.
! After the ceremony was concluded
/ they tasted four days!
Among certain Siberians the BRIDE
groom is not permitted to have wife
until he can catch her. But they do
I not give him fair race in the open.
The bride, surrounded by her female
friends, awaits him in big tent. AS
soon as she see3 him she starts to
run. He follows like Hippomenes
after ATLANTA. But instead of
obstacles being thrown in the way of
the bride they are thrown across the
path of the bridegroom. Usually the
spectacle is like that of an elephant
running an obstacle race against an
automobile on a clear track. The
pursuing groom falls over old women,
chairs, tables, stones and fishing
rods, or is tripped up by ropes or
! vines. Only when it is feared he
might give up and sulk and go away
without the fleeting lady is he per-
| mltted to overtake her. Then, as she
falls into his outstrecthed arms, it
/ may be imagined she utters some
equivalent OF This is so sudden.
AS a show. this Siberian wedding
ceremony must be as entertaining as
vaudeville to the spectators, but to
carry it out we'll more than one re-
hearsal might be necessary. 1t also
entails much premature smashing of
! furniture if the entire realism of it is
{ to be attained. The expense of max
/ ing debris of tables and chairs is