The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1912-09-05


when the wedding is over. A girl
becomes a bride in Holland two or
three weeks before the wedding day,
or as soon as she and her intended
have signed the register at the town
hall, signifying their puorpose of get
ting married on a certain day. Their
names are then printed and put up
for public inspection outside the town
hall. This is an equivalent to read
ing the banns in England and is done
for the same reaSon-to give any
one objecting to the union chance to
say so.
Meanwhile when the young couple
have gone off quietly to sign their
names the brides mother and the
rest Of her. ralatives decorate the
house with green plants and flowers,
so that when the bride and BRIDE
groom for such they then are, re-
turn the whole place shall present
festive appearance. All this gen
orally takes place after dinner, which
in Holland is partaken of at p. m,
so it is just tea time, or about 3
O'Clock when the young people come
back.
The tea tray is set out with the
very best china in the drawing room
and little dishes full of bridal su-
gars'-sugared almonds and other
special sweets. These druid sulk-
ers,'' or bridal Sweets" have to be
kept on hand during the whole bridal
period and are offered to all visitors.
1t is considered rude to refuse to par
take of them. These sweets are
very ancient institution, but gradu-
ally they have become of finer quail
ty, losing some of their original par
ticularity. For instance, the smooth
ly coated sugar almonds were meant
to symbolize the bride, while the
roughly coated almonds represented
the bridegroom.
Formerly it was the general GUS
tom and it still is so in some towns
and villages, that on the day of be-
coming a bride the girl should send
lace paper bags tied with green and
white ribbon and full of bridal su-
gars to all her relations and friends.
The maid servants of the house take
these bags around in baskets decorat-
ed with green bows of ribbon, and at
every house where they present the
gift they receive small gratulty
for themselves. The same kind OF
bridal sugars in silver papers bags
or in gold paper bags, tied with sill
yer and gold cord, are presented by
silver and golden wedding couples to
their friends and relatives.
Every one who receives bridal su-
gars or an invitation to one of the
many parties-either evening or din
ner-given during the bridal period
by the parents of bride and bride
groom must, according to custom,
give a wedding present to the young
couple. All these presents are timed
to arrive before the grand reception,
which is generally held at the brides
parents house on the Sunday preced-
ing the wedding The presents,
which are always very numerous and
often consist of costly silver and crys-
tai articles, are arranged in one of
the rooms on long tables and the
bouquets and baskets of flowers that
are often more numerous than the
presents are placed in all the rooms
where the reception is held and the
presents are displayed.
In the largest room a bower of
palms and Towering plants have been
formed and there the bride and bride
groom sit side by side on sofa or
stand up to receive their guests. The
near relatives of the bride stand in
a row by the bridegrooms side and
his nearest relatives stand in row
next to the bride, and all guests are
formally presented to the parents OF
the young couple and are then led OH
by the bridesmaids ''to see the pres
ents." The bridesmaids or the little
brothers and sisters or cousins
of the couple offer bridal su-
gars'' to the guests and wait
ers or the man servants OF
the family bring around trays with
the bridal refreshment, "hippocras,
or "bride's tears kind of liqueur
although nowadays more generally
port and sherry are served.
Such a reception. generally lasts
from 3 until o'clock p. m. The
bride dons her wedding dress, with
the wreath of orange blossoms in her
hair. The only part of her wedding
finery she does not wear is the veil,