Year: 1873


and when the procession has accom-
plished about half it's journey, the Gre
ceiviug of the bride" takes place. At
this period, the lady is supposed to as
sumo her husbands clan name, so the
lanterns bearing her clan name now
disappear from the procession, as also
do her relatives and friends, and she
now proceeds with her husbands rep
Having arrived at the
bridegroom's house, the procession
halts amidst loud explosions of crack
ers, &c. The bride is now assisted out
Of her sedan-chair, and after some Gu
rious-and, to foreigners, very ridicu
lous-customs have been attended to
one being, that, in some parts of the
country, she has to step over saddle
placed at the doorway of her new home
she joins her husband in the worship
of heaven and earth, and also of the
ancestral tablets-a highly important
part of the marriage ceremony IN most
provinces Of China. The newly we'd
ded pair kneel down and bow solemn
ly before table, which is placed in a
prominent position near the end of the
principal apartment of the house, and
towards the open air-by this action
signifying that they are paying obeis-
ance to heaven and earth; they then
turn, and in somewhat similar man
ner worship the ancestral tablets, which
are placed on table in the back part
of the hall.


This all-important rite having been
carefully observed, some slight changes
are made in the brides dress, prepara-
tory to the nuptial meal. Some render
this by the expression "marriage sup
per-" but as it commonly takes place
during the middle Of the day or in the
afternoon, the term appears to be in
appropriate. A special table is set out
for the bride and bridegroom, at which
they sit down and pretend to eat, and
exchange cup (chiao pei.) Without
this ceremony, no marriage seems to
be considered complete; and it appears,
as it were, to seal the contract, being
looked upon as the most indispensable
part of the whole proceedings. The
table spoken of is arranged in the pre-
scribed form in the Iwng- fang, or bri-
dal chamber, and not in the room with
the other guests, but set SO that the
bride and bridegroom are in view Of all
at this stage the husband, most fire.
quently for the first time. is permitted
to see his wife's face. Etiquette re-
quires that the bride should fast, even
though, during the day, it is often the
case that presents of food are more than
once sent to her from her own home.
The guests at a later period partake OF
an entertainment separately and it is
customary for them to make money
presents to the family, probably to as
sist in defraying the expenses they are
put to.


The feasts and ceremonies attending
a marriage usually occupy two days OF
more, the male relations and friends
being invited on the first day, while
the second is set apart for the recep-
tion of the female guests.


On the morning of the second day,
the custom Of Coming out of the (nup-
tiaD chamber is observed, on which
occasion the newly welded husband
and wife again pay their devotions to
the tablets Of the formers ancestors.
The deities which preside over the
kitchen are next propitiated by certain
acts of worship. Afterwards comes a
ceremonial call on the brides family,
an invitation having first been receiv-
ed, and sedan-chairs sent for the ac-
commodation of the pair, who, it must
be noted, occupy different chairs. It
is arranged that the two sedan-chairs
should both start and reach their des-
tination separately. Their arrival is
greeted by loud explosions of crackers,
without which it seems that hardly
any Chinese ceremony is complete
During the visit, great care is taken to
use only words of good omen, and all
the proceedings are regulated by eti-
quette, the husband and wife seeing
but little of one another, even when a
banquet is given in their honor. They
return home separately, the husband
going first. In any calls that may af-
forwards be made, the same routine is
observed, and the wife is never actual
ly accompanied by her spousezet1t is
sufficiently we'll known that in endless
matters the Chinese custom is the very
reverse of that which prevails amongst
ourselves, SO the reader will perhaps
not be astonished to learn that in the
Middle Kingdom husbands do not, as
a rule, appear in public in the compa-
ny of their wives.


theoretically, no marriage can take
place during the time of mourning for
the death of an Emperor; but as the
full term of mourning is twenty-seven
months, this would be highly incon-
venient, so the restriction is practical
ly confined to the first hundred days
after his majesty's decease; and even
this is probably very little observed,
except by officials, and the residents in
the capital and it's immediate neigh
borhood.


It is the rule in China that persons
of the same clan name shall not inter
marry, and this prohibition (for it a.
mounts to that) extends even to re.