Year: 1874

marry young clerk who works hard


from morning till night for pound and


a half (about $3.50 a week. The bride


was we'll of, having two houses and


twenty thousand Turkish lires ($100,.


000,) as marriage portion. This was


all given over to the bridegroom who,


strange to say, did not seem to feel bit


grateful. should, if some one gave me


two houses and all their furniture, in


cluding slaves and hundred thousand
dollars; but then l am heather and


not an orthodox Armenian. When / ar


rived the bride was Just dressed, and l
was invited into the bedroom where she


was, to see her in all the glory of her at
tire. She stood in the center of the
room, and all the slaves and old women
stood off to give me a better view of her
magnificence. / walked around her
twice before i could see where her face
was, or-which was the front of her. She
was covered with most curious veil
made of long slips of gold tinsel, which
reached to her feet. Through this you
could not see, except the bottom of her
dress. The Armenian women are gener-
ally very pretty, but perfect fools in
manners and expression; so much so
that when one man wishes to offend an
other he says, Pretty Armenian !"
which really means fool. Twelve
o'clock came, and halfpast, and then one,
and no priests. Finally boy came and
said the priests wOnld be along directly,
and he spread piece of carpet in the
middle of the room and retired. The
people did not seem to mind the delay,
but / felt sorry for the poor bride, who
sat erect all the while on her chair,
speaking to none nor even moving. /
had the corner divan, and with all the
cushions, was pretty comfortable, and l
am not quite sure | didn't go to sleep,
for found l mixed things little after
ward. At halfpast one the priests ar
rived, preceded by crowd of boys bear
ing censors, and a humble, being some
sort of thing suppose they call sing
ing. 1t was worse than the ear splitting
torture had submitted to at the christ
ening. The priests were decorated with
gold embroidery from head to foot, and
the chief priest wore sort of mitre on
his head literally blazing with Jewels.
The carpet that had been laid by the
boys was now covered with one far moro
elegant, and having tassels of pearls at
each corner. The chief priest took his
place on the center of this, and the other
three behind him. The father of the
bride took her by the hand and led her
forward to the bridegroom, and the two
then stepped before the priest. Two boys
brought cushions with a green wreath
one each for the bride and bridegroom.
The brides was kept in place by the
tinsel veil, but that of the unfortunate
Haskar kept sliding forward or backward
all the time, making him very uncom-
Portable. The bride was rather under
than over the ordinary height for women,
and the bridegroom very tall man, and
they were obliged to stand with their
foreheads touching each other during
the whole ceremony, which took GER
tainly an hour. 1t seems to consist
mostly of swinging of the censors and
singing by the boys and a sort of monet
onous chant by the three priests. At
last it was finished by Hasker handing
plain gold ring to the bride and re.
ceiving one from her in exchange, and
then both kneeling for few moments
while the priests chanted and the boys
swung the censors around, very close to
the heads of the unfortunate couple.
They then rose, and the priests departed
after having RECALLED themselves in the
supper room alone. The bride was then
placed upon the same chair and the
bridegroom came forward with a richly
trimmed cushion, bearing the bridal
presents-a watch and chain, diamond
brooch and earrings, and bracelets, and
a large knitted purse filled with gold. /
asked my guide how he was able to give
such expensive presents, and was told
that all her dover was made over to him
the day before the wedding. After CIV
ing the Jewels the bridegroom parted the
veil and placed the jewels on his bride,
and then she descended from the chair
and all proceeded to the supper room.
There she was lifted by the men and
seated astride barrel of wine, and the
feast commenced. She was obliged to sit
there till all the wine was drank out Of
the barrel, which was nearly two hours.
She looked tired enough before all was
over, for she got nothing to eat at all.
The Armenians are good eaters, think,
by the way they cleaned the plentifully
furnished table, and it was daylight be-
fore we got finished. We then had
coffee again, and all went home.-Con-
stantinopie Letter to the Alta Californian.