Year: 1869

/ stand; the mother holds the bride, com


pIetely dressed in white, by the hand


surrounded by all her dearest friend.
and companions. All bow before the
image. The father takes the image, the
mother the bread and salt the young
couple then kneel under the image, and
are first blessed by the father the lat
ter then takes the bread and salt from
the hands of the mother and gives heI
the image, and the same ceremony is
repeated. After this, the father and
mother of the bridegroom do the like.
Then comes the giving of the rings; the
brides father gives the golden ring to
the bridegroom, the silver one to the
bride. They are now afhaneed to each
other, and give each other the first kiss.
When the ceremony is over, the com
pany enjoy themselves they chat, laugh,
eat, and drink, and separate, after having
fixed the day for the marriage. During
the interval between this ceremony and
the marriage, the bridegroom spends all
his evenings with his bride, often tete-a-
tete.


The marriage ceremony follows. 1t is
also called the coronation, because, dur
ing the ceremony, a crown is placed on
the heads of the afianeed. Then the
priest offers them cup of wine, of which
they both drink, as q sign of the union
they have contracted. A solemn process
sion is led by the officiating priest, the
bride and bridegroom following him,
round the desk, placed in the center OF
the church, upon which is laid the bible.
This Is to represent the joys which
await them, the ties which they contract,
and the eternity of these ties. During
the public celebration of the marriage,
the rings worn by the young people are
exchanged the husband now wearing
the silver one, the bride the golden.
From the church, all the company in
vited 90 to the house Of the bridegroom 5
father. A week after they return to
church, when the priests lift the crown
from their heads. This ceremony is the
final conservation of marriage.


The banquet is ordered at some first
rate eonfectioner's. Nothing is wanting
silver, crystal, flowers, and lustres laden
with candles of the purest wax. The
most perfect order reigns at these
repasts. The finest wines flow In abun-
dance, and music plays from time to time
during the whole repast. The young
married pair occupy seats about the mid
die of the table, the parents supporting
them on both sides the rest of the
company take seats according to the
degrees of relationship or rank. If they
want very grand dinner, they order a
generals dinner, which costs 100f.
more than an ordinary dinner At this
dinner, so ordered, the master Of the
ceremony invites a real old pensioned-
off general, who is received with all the
reverence due.to his rank, and seated in
the place of honor. He is the first to
drink to the health of the young couple,
and is always helped before any one else.
He never speaks unless it is absolutely
necessary. He is there only for show,
and@e does his best in return for the
four pounds paid him for his presence to
eat and drink as mneh as he can. He
is accosted when helped to anything,
araek or wine, as "your excelleney,
He never refuses a single dish of all the
thirty served on such occasions. As the
last roast disappears from the table, the
champagne eorks fly, the glasses are
filed to the briin, the music strikes up,
and huzzas resound from all parts. But
here comes the brides father with a
glass in his hand, going up to her bow
ing, and making most wotul face, say
ing that his wine was so bitter that he
could not drink it till she had sweetened
it. After a great deal of pressing, she
rises and gives her husbnnd kiss her
father still pretends that his wine is Bit
ter, and it remains so until she has given
her husband three kisses; each kiss not
only sweetens his wine, but is aceompa-
MED with roars of laughter and bursts Of
applause. After the dinner comes the
ball and " the generals walk" They
lead him through all the rooms once
every half hour; everybody salutes him
as he passes along, and he graciously
replies by an inclination of the head.


At last, at o'clock in the morning,
all the young girls, and those who
dressed the bride, take her away to
undress her, and put her to rest; the
young men do the same by the husband
The next morning the house Of the
newly married couple is again filed with
the crowds of the evening before. The
young wife is seated in the drawing
room on a sofa, with a splendid tea-service
before her. One after the other ap-
proaehes, salutes her, and asks, Have
you slept well, madam? Do you feel
rested after the fatigues Of the last
night?" She then offers tea, coffee, or
chocolate, according to the taste of the
visitor. She is throned for the first time
in all splsndor as the mistress of the
house. The most intimate friends re-
main to spend the day with the young
pair. A week after the marriage, the
wife's family give series of dinner
parties, evening parties, and balls. These
fetes sometimes last for a fortnight, or
even three weeks, or a month, and so
the young people gradually subside into
their ordinary everyday life.