Omaha daily bee., 1911-02-12
e young Wohamnedan hride

there is feast there the bridegroom paying the
penses Of the bathing and eating.
Wednesday the bridegIoom's lady friends go to the
house of the bride, where they have and dina
At this time the finger nails and toe nails Of the
bride stained red with henna and they begin to
deck her out for the wedding. Thursday the bride
is taken to the groom's house in great procession
and there the two cat candy exchanging mouthfuls
bites the idea being that nothing but sweetness is
hereafter TO pass from the lips of to the other
The bridegroom has the bride until this time
He here says a prayer in the presence of the BRIDE
kneeling on her bridal veil as he does
Mohammedans of Palestine.
Among the Mohammedans of Palestine, says my
guide Shammas, the wedding usually takes place at
the mosque and the bridegroom meets his bride when
she is the way thither although she is yelled
that he cannot see her She is dressed all in white
and carried under canopy the shoulders of four
At the mosque the wedding sermon is given,
and at end this the bride goes the house of
her husband. AS she steps the threshold she
bends down and passes under two crossed swords up
held by his friends this that if she is not
to her husband he will kill her. She is first
the womens apartment harem, the door of
which been placed piece of leavened dough with
a green leaf lying upon it, she presses the palm of
her hand on the and the dough, thus signH
Tying that the home into which she has come
flourish. In the bride breaks piece
leavened bread and gives to the young people to eat
After she has entered her own apartment in the
grooms house there is feast, the guests sitting
the floor and eating after course of meats and
vegetables, interpreted with candies and syrups. In
some cases the groom has to make the bride speak
before the dinner will be served and it is a virtue
with her to keep silent just long she
Woman's Rights in Syria
1t is the general idea among Christians that Mo
hammedan wives have rights which their husbands
are bound respect l am told this is not so, and
that the women here infrequently rule their hus-
Twin hast pqgp1y tIN wit
recent years and it is only rich Mohammedan who
can own several wives Public sentiment as to the
rights of has risen and the man who abuses
his wives is not considered respectable. No man dares
address a strange wopan the streets of any Turk
ish city, and in the best regulated houses the husband
does not enter the womans apartments when he
knows he is not wanted although he has the legal
right to go there at any time.
The Mohammcdan wife has the entire right and
control of her own property and if she brings the
money into the family she does not hesitate to
She has about much power in the courts as our
women have; she can sue and be sued, and even
suit against her husband in regard to her oWp
properly; she make a Will and leave her property
as she paa8es and she force him to pay the dowTy
agreed upon. When she marres he has to buy the
wedding gown and if he divorces her she gets back
her trousseau.
Slave Marriages,
It is said that women are still bought and sold in
the Turkish possessions. Not long ago there was
regular trade in the black girls who we're brought
across the Sahara from Central Africa and shipped
through TripoH into Syria and other parts Turkey
Before the English took hold of Egypt this tram
carried on through tho Nile valley and # wnked
at by the officials, II is said to be still i'm vogue in
Morocco and slaves are brought in from parts Of the
Caucausus to Coustantnope
According 10 the law Of the Koran marriages with
slaves legal The wives Of the sultan are largely
slaves who brought in Georgia and Circassia
a plump, brght-eyed, red-headcd whitc-shinned girl
being worth much half dozen white horses
] told that Crcassian girls glad 20 be sold out
OF the hardsnps which they sure to dnd in their
own country; they bought young and trained
for wives such can play on the either aud other
musical instruments briug more than the ignorant
and the blonde is worth than the brunette. In
past 900 not a high price for Circassian
girl, and any good-ookng Georgian maiden OF 70
would bring 5000 and upward According to law tho
children Of such slaves legitimate. -
FRANK G. CARPENTER