The semi-weekly messenger., 1908-02-07
old MARRIAGE CUSTOMS
Crude Functions Of Barbaric society
Customs Of Different Countries.

Customs Of Different Countries.
Contrasted with the crude functions
Of barbaric society, the wedding cere-
monies of our highly civilized land
are as an American Beauty rose to a
bunch OF chickweed-
No wonder the brides and grooms
are eager to rehearse IL carefully SO as
not TO mar its enchanting lowell
ness
The Paris groom LIust go with a
band to the brides house, 1rst having
sent ahead presents Of considerable val
ue. varying according to his financial
condition
At the Threshold mis- future mother
in-law meets him with a smile and
dish of fruits which she scatters at his
feet
Then the bride comes forth and
she and the groom are led into a room
where their hands are tied together
with silken cord. AS the ceremony
proceeds the cords are passed around
their bodies until they art literally
spiiced. When at length they are re-
leased they are permitted to throw rice
at each other,
The victor in the rice throwing cor
test is supposed to be the one who will
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 Translyvania gypsy
bridal couples are rubbed with a weas-
e, 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 rides away
on horseback with his. daughter pur-
sued by the groom but like true pa
rent he allows himself to be over
| taken
In Syria the bride and her parents
ride to the home of the groom. The
latter comes out to greet his wife-to-
be. The parents, no doubt, wishing
Ito conceal their eager ness to get rid
Tor their daughter make show of re-
! slstence. Firearms are DISCHARGED but
the cartridges are blank and conse-
.quently no one is, hurt and the pre-
1ng-tO-be-reluctant bride finally
yields to her lovers entreatfes. 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 vet
wholly extinct. The bride was led I'D
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 to the tree
as tightly as ever Farragut was to
the mast OF Hartford. 1T was the
br1degroom's turn next. But instead
OF splicing him to the mahwa they
spl1ced him to the mango tree, apDro-
priately enough II one considers the
spelling of the names of these arboreal
| spouses. How long they were kept in
| that position the historian does not
sey. but goes on to tell how in ancient
| Mexico ere garments of bride and
| groom were tied together il, a huge
knot. Then the couple were marched
| ten times arouid a ire into which they
| threw incense. After the ceremony was
concluded they then tasted for four
| days
Among certain Siberians the bride
groom is not allowed to have wife
| until he can eaten her But 7hev do
not give him fair chance in the open.
The bride, surrounded by her female
friends awaits him in big tent. As
soon as she sees him she starts to
run. He follows ike Hippomehes af-
ter 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 All OBJ
stacle race against an automobile on
clear track. The pursuing groom
falls over old women. chairs, tah4es,
stones, aid fishing rods, or is tripped
up by ropes or vines Only when il is
feared that he might give up and suik
and go away without ffeeting lady is he
permitted to overtake her Then az
she falls into his outstretched arms
it may be imagined she utters some
equivalent of This is SO sudden
AS show, this Siberian wedding
ceremony must be as entertaining as
vaudeville to the spectators but to car
~ it out we'll more than one rehearsal
may be necessary. 1t also entails
much premature smashing of frni-
ture, If the entire realism OF it is to |
be attained.
The expense of making debris of ta-
bles and chairs is another considera-
ton, which renders this unique ce-e-
mony alien to the tastes of civilized |