Year: 1877

AN ARMENIAN WEDDING.


| An ArlstOcratic Marriage at Pera-The
Church service-The Ring NO Part Of
the Nuptial Ceremony.


A correspondent writing from Pera, March
26th, says: 1t was late in the evening, while
the air was full of alternate rumors of war
and peace, that card was handed to US re-
questing our attendance at an Armenian we'd
ding, for the solemnization of which midnight
was appointed. The ceremony began imme-
diately There were no bridesmaids; the
bride was only attended by a c0nanaere or god
mother, who seemed humble relative or
friend, while the bridegroom's best friend
was his own brother, a young gentleman mar
ried to the daughter of Nubar Pasha, of
Egypt. The happy pair were persons OF high
standing and of great wealth, the bridegroom
having been for some time settled in London
in connection with great trading house.
The bride was magniicently attired, young,
and what woman is not handsome on her
wedding day? She had on the conventional
white dress, and veil falling down to her feet,
and heavy brocaded white train impeding
her movements. The peculiarly was bunch
of silver straps fastened on the nape OF the





breast were orange flowers a wreath OF the
same, with diamond tiara or diadem, rested
on her head underneath the veil. The bride
groom was of about the same age with the
bride, and bore kind of family or national
likeness to her. l should have mentioned
that as the party walked up the nave of the
church they stopped halfway, where three
chairs had been placed for the purpose; the
bride suddenly parted company, and hurrying
forward alone, sat in the middle chair, when
the bridegroom and best man followed and
| took their places beside her. This we sup
pose is intended to represent the typical shy
ness or cOyness of the bride, and is in keep
ing with the custom observed among the
Armenians of the lower orders, whose brides
affect to run away from the bliss that awaits
them, and have to be hunted and c0aXed or
forced to acquiesce to the inevitable. This
little by-play lasted only for few seconds,
for Immediately the cona'nere hustled up, and
helped the bride off the chair, lifting the
heavy train after her. The party then got
within the ratings and stood before the steps
of the altar, surrounded by the choristers
singing hymn.


There followed distressinglv long church
service, during parts of which the bride and
bridegroom, sometimes standing, sometimes
kneeling, we're tied together with gold chain
Nhe Greeks use instead a wreath ct f0wers)
facing one another, and so closely that their
faces almost touched, both casting down their
eyes to the ground, the poor bridegroom es-
pecially looking exceedingly sheepish, while
the bride had calm though somewhat wear
led look. The gold chain was again and
again laid on the two devoted heads and re-
moved, to the very evident distress of the
sufferers, who perhaps wondered whether the
knot of which that chain was typical was
equally to be fast and loose all the days of
their life. All the time the two were thus
yoked together, the best man held little
silver cruci6x between them, very close to
their faces, the preates and some OF the
other clergy all having the same little crosses
in their hands, not, however, touching them,
but holding them by piece of spangled
gauze or taratan, hanging down like lady's
scent-bottle in ballroom. The hands of
the bride and bridegroom were often joined
and clasped together but we noticed no be-
stowlng of the ring, that being apparently no
part Of the nuptial ceremony IN the Arme-
nian Church. The service in the literary
ancient Armenian, which, I am told, edu-
Gated persons thoroughly understand, and
some of the hymns sung NY the choisters are
snatches of epithalamic poetry handed down
from ages anterior to Christianity. The
principal rites being fulfilled, the bridal party
and the bystanders, as we'll as the clergy, sat
down, when the Patriarch delivered an ex-
hortation to the welded couple, in the every
day Armenian of common life discourse,
l am assured, full of good sense and mo-
rality, for the Patriarch is we'll known for
his eloquence and wit; while one of his
Archbishops, Korem-Nar Bey, is poet,
highly valued in his own land, and wherever
his language is understood.


After the sermon, end when the final
blessing had been pronounced on the kneel-
ing pair, tray with three glasses Of red
wine was brought in and rendered to the
bride, bridegroom and best man. More bri-
dal hymns followed, and the service was
then concluded, many of the bystanders,
ourselves among the rest, vaulting over the
balustrade and offering congratulations to the
wly-marr!ed pair and their families. The !
bride evinced no little self. possession and
spirit, and spoke English we'll enough to fit
her for intercourse with the people among |
whom she is soon to have her welded home. |





Prof. Politzer recently put before the Med
ical Society of the Vienna Garrison some
new proofs of the use of both ears in deter
mining the direction of sound. People who
are deaf in one ear make strange mistakes
when out hunting, as they are apt to suppose
that any sound comes from the direction to-
ward which the ear they hear with may hap
pen to be turned. A neat little experiment,
easily tried, was devised by Prof. Politzer.


Above the top of the head of q person
whose eyes are bandaged watch, ticking
|Oudlv ia to be passed. The blindfolded Der-