El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-01-09
TurksBelieve In Marriage
Old Maids Are DisEraced and
Bachelors in Bad Repute; DI-
vOrce Easy, but Unpopular.
BY Madison Z. Petera


/ 4 - said: when the servant of
Allah marries he perfects half of his
/ religion"
! The bachelor is looked upon as the
! brother of the devil. A widow almost
always marries again. An old maid is
! taboo; she is considered as living in
! perpetual transgression. Hence the
Turks marry early. Among them
/ there is only one excuse for marriage
late in life. a second marriage.
May Have Four Wives.
According to law, man may have
! four wives but each wife must be MAIN
tanned in separate quarters, and the
/ matter Of expense governs the prevail
ing sentiment favOring one wife
/ The Turkish woman is a free agent
under the law. The wife has absolute
control of her property A man may
divorce his wife by uttering in her
presence and in that of two witnesses
a certain form of words three times.
And the wife has no remedy. This is
a custom which has the force of law.
But divorce is unpopular.
When the family council concludes
that the time has arrived for the son
to marry, the mother, if she has not
already done so, chooses a wife for
him. She gets into communication with
the old women matrimonial brokers
who are 1dmllldE with the ldIlllleS nav
ing manageable daughters. Accom-
panied by these gobetweens and near
relatives, the mother visits such fami-
lies.
No matter what may be the private
opinion of the matchmakers, etiqUet
requires them to eXclaim, What 4
beauty your daughter isl The chief
caller now tells of the good qualities
Of the prospective bridegroom and the
amount of settlement to be made. Sew
~HeHHH tod h
the mother goes home to report to her
husband and son.
The choice determined on, the 60
betweens arrange prelimlnarles. Ine
youth may not see the maiden unveiled
Vefls in the east are attributed not so
much to the jealousy of the husbands
as to the modesty of the women.
Turks regard talking freely of women
as an evidence of i'll breeding.
The maiden, however, is generaIly
given chance to see her future nus nus.
band. The mother cunningly arranges
that by taking the daughter out for
walk or a drive to some appointed
place where she may see him.
The betrohaI gifts are usually toilet
requisites. After this the bridegrOOm's
mother visits the bride, taking with
her bonbons and several yards of red
silk, which is laid on the floor IN
front of the diVan.. Standing on TINS
silk, the betrOthed kisses the hand OF
her mOtherinlaw. who gives her bon
bons with her blessing. Half a bonbon,
bitten in two by the girl, the mother
carries back to the bridegroom as
first love token
arrangements Last Eight Days.
A few days later the bridegroom
sends a contribution to the brides
father toward the expense of wedding
festivities, Eight days after the en-
gagement is made the knot is tied,
civil contract, made valid by two Wit
nesses.
The ceremony takes place in the
brides home. When the settlement has
been agreed upon the bridegroom pro-
claims three times his desire to wed
the daughter, WhereupOn the priest,
accompanied by the father, goes TO
the girls apartments, where she anu
her friends are waiting, and, after
stating the financial agreement she IS
asked her Willingness to marry tins
man. If she answers affirmatlvely the
father and the priest return to the
mems apartment, and when the con-
tract is signed, sealed an delivered the
contracting parties are legally man
and wife.
Social Sanction Comes Later.
But before the young couple may see
each other this legal sanction must
have the social sanction. Some months
may pass before this can take place,
The wedding dress for the festivities
has to be made first, and other &C
ccssories which the bridegroom has
II furnish The rest of her trOusseau,
her household linen, beds and utensils
for housekeeping must be provided Dy
the brides parents. To provide the
money sometimes requires months, 1t
is a point Of honor md pride to make
as big q show as possible, which i'm
memorial custom makes obligatory, up
on rich and poor alike.
Wedding festivities last a week. On
hri1 frO11CCRnm
are carried to her new
home Tuesday the bride is taken TO
the public baths. On this occasion the
bridegroom pays for the baths Tor the
party. So important is the bath among
the Turks that it forms an item in
every marriage contract. The husband
engages to allow his wife bath money
as we allow pin money. If it be with
held she has only to go before the
Cadi and turn her slipper upside down,
and if the complaint is not redressed II
IS a ground for divorce.
On Wednesday comes the visit of the
bridegrooms mother and the dyeiug OF
the brides finger and toe nails. ON
Thursday the bride and her relatives
proceed in a body, with great cere-
mcny, to the house of the bridegroom.
After all are seated, coffee is served
and cigarets passed around, the bride
enters, still wearing the borrowed gar
ments she put on after the bath on
Tuesday, and, supported on either Slue
by a matron who has been only once
married, makes a tour of the room.
Beginning with her mOtherinlaw, she
kisses the hands Of all Then she is
seated alongside of her mOtherinlaw.
The latter transfers a sugar stick
from her mouth to that of her daugh-
terinlaw a survival of the old marriage
rite of food sharing.
Coins ShONered on Bride.
The small coins shOwered on the
bride are scrambled for by the beg
gars and dangerous, always on hand
during the progress of wedding fes-
tivity The bridegroom is pounded Sc
verely by his friends and an abundant
supply of old shoes S thrown at him
with no gentle hand. He is glad to
make his escape to the room where the
bride now receives him in her we'd
ding gown and kisses his hand. while
her veil is spread on the floor, on
which he kneels to pray.
For the two succeeding days the
newly welded pair, in their best
clothes. receive the congratulations of
relatives and friends who flock to the
house.