The Wedding Day in All Ages and Countries, Volume 1Bentley, 1869 - Marriage customs and rites |
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Common terms and phrases
accompanied allowed ancient attended Bedouin betrothal Brahmin bread bridal bride and bridegroom bride wore bride's father bride's house bridegroom's house capture carried celebrated cere chemise church Circassians clothes coemptio common concubinage conducted confarreatio consent contract Copt couple crown custom dancing daughter day the bride divorce dowry dressed espousal favourable fire followed fortune-teller fylgja gave gifts girl give gold Greek groom guests hand head Hebrew Hindú horseback intended husband Jews marriage marriage ceremony married matrimony Monguls mony mother newly-married night Norway nuptial oblations pagan day pair parents parties performed piece placed polygamy prayers presents priest received riage ring round sang savage nations says sent seventeenth century silk silver silver-gilt sometimes Song of Hiawatha Sweden symbol taffeta taken tent token took torches tribe usually veil virgin Wallachia wedding day wedding feast widow wife wine wives woman women young
Popular passages
Page 181 - ... and carries off his bride. If she is unwilling ' she hides herself in the woods until her admirer is ' heartily tired of looking for her, and gives up the ' pursuit ; but this seldom happens.
Page 37 - The image one of peace, and one of war. Here sacred pomp and genial feast delight, And solemn dance, and hymeneal rite; Along the street the new-made brides are led, With torches flaming, to the nuptial bed: The youthful dancers in a circle bound To the soft flute, and cithern's silver sound: Through the fair streets the matrons in a row Stand in their porches, and enjoy the show.
Page 229 - The number of husbands is not, as far as I could learn, defined or restricted within any limits. It sometimes happens that in a small family there is but one male ; and the number may seldom perhaps exceed that which a native of rank, during my residence at Teshoo Loomboo, pointed out to me in a family resident in the neighbourhood, in which five brothers were then living together very happily with one female, under the same connubial compact...
Page 124 - The seizure of a maiden by force from her house, while she weeps and calls for assistance, after her kinsmen and friends have been slain in battle, or wounded and their houses broken open, is the marriage styled Racshasa.
Page 85 - If she entertains any suspicion of their designs she defends herself with stones, and often inflicts wounds on the young men, even though she does not dislike the lover, for, according to custom, the more she struggles, bites, kicks, cries, and strikes, the more she is applauded ever after by her own companions.
Page 210 - ... she returns with him to his tent. But it sometimes happens that the woman does not wish to marry the person by whom she is pursued, in which case she will not suffer him to overtake her...
Page 167 - This refembles ftrongly a marriage-ceremony that is or was cuftomary in Wales. On the morning of the wedding-day, the bridegroom, accompanied with his friends on horfeback, demands the bride.
Page 161 - The wedding drum continued to beat, and the women to sing, or rather whistle, all night. About nine in the morning the bride was brought in state from her mother's tent, attended by a number of women who carried her tent (a present from the husband), some bearing up the poles, others holding by the strings; and...
Page 168 - I was struck by surprise to see a long, noisy procession pass by where I sat, led by some men who carried on their shoulders a woman covered up in a blackened skin. On inquiry, however, I heard she was being taken to the hut of her espoused, where, bundling fashion, she would be put to bed ; but it is only with virgins they take so much trouble.
Page 84 - ... throat before witnesses. As soon as the blood falls upon the ground the marriage ceremony is regarded as complete.