A TURKISH WEDDING.

King Country Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 221, 4 January 1909, Page 5

A TURKISH WEDDING.

intcratting account of a Turkish ceremony is given by Hester D/Jenkins, who, along with a number of companions, was enabled to he present through the agency of an Armenian friend. Fortunatety the contracting parties belonged to the upper so that the preparations were most elaborate. A minute' description id given of the gorgeous interior of th<-' rooms, and of the detail* of the reception accorded each guest. Miss Jenkins and her friend took the precautien of arriving early, so that they weuttl miss nothing that was to be seen.

After describing her own reception, seh says: We next seated COTSeHves outside the large hall room and watched the guests arrive. It was a COffoOS sighted thoroughly medueval —the gorgeous brocades and jewels, the otter absence of any attempt at blity. but in its place a stiff sitting about the rooms, the whole object of which seemed to be to see and be seen, the low salaams of the entering w»* men. and the varying degree® of respect shown to tower or higher rank. When a specially grand person entered, the women would rise and attempt to scoop with their hands below their skirts, a salaam rot nearly to graceful as a less pro fount) one.

Many of the women bad their hair stained with henna, varying from shrimp pink to searict. 1 noticed presently that these seemed to be elderly womin, and Zabelle explained that grey hairs an fitted a Modem from praying, so she «M obliged to W«at to henna in her old ag«. Anything m<fte carious in appearance titan one oC these old women wrinkled, toothless, pale, with scaret locks, ntnscantcd by • tmiue of some gay shade, their shapeless bulk tricked oat to billow* of priceless silk and flashing with diamonds and on cot emeralds, while they puffed cloud# off tobacco Wtokt from their noses. 1 ceuW not well imagine. One old creature cam* rolling in with alt the complacency that a Paris gown can give. But,, alas for our risibles f the co»ttttt* was nothing but a room gown of lac* negligee, and of course, was entirely unsuited for a party.

When we had sat for an hour or more and the rooms bad become crowded we heard the approach of the wedding party. It seems that lb* bride ia brought to the deer in a carriage, and there the groom meets her, and, taking her hand, leads her op to the State room through the ranks of guest. The women stood on chairs, and. as a man wns entering the hsremJik, they laid tiny handkerchiefs en their beads, and thus satisfied convention. The bridal couple passed through, and. entering the best room, closed the door. Here the groom removed the veil and looked for the first tine on his bride's face; then he passed cut quietly, and everyone crowded in to see the bride.

But we bad gazed at her loveliness for or, fy a few minutes when an excitement arose. A black cununcb with a fine decoration on bis breast pushed through the room, and announced her Highness, one of the daughters of the Sultan, and said that she must see the ceremony. So the groom, who had gon» to the Salemlik was recalled, and ted by the eunuch the bridal procession took place a second time. This curiously inadequte ceremony is—except for the legal betrothal which has taken place some days or weeks before, when the bride's settle ments are agreed upon, and at which the bride herself is not present—the empty substitute for our solemn religious service with its promises and its vows. The pridegroom takes possession of the bride; nothing else is suggested. The doors of the house were then thrown open for any woman who chose to com*' in and see the bride, and they availed themselves of the opportunity In crowds, pushing before the little lady and staring at her solemnly by the half hour never saying a wwl. The bride was a pretty, delicatefeatured maiden of fifteen, clad in a beautiful Paris gown of white satin imbroidered in pale green and silver. She wore a superb tiara of diamonds, from which depended on each side of tor face long strands of silver tinsel, which fell on the floor around her as the sat with eyes modestly cast down. Tor two whole days the bride sat is a ipectadw for the guests and pasaers-

by. It as strange to us the otter #&• lent*-of romance, of religious sentiment, of th«- idea of starting a home, >r of any companionship between hu3>and and wife. The wedding day la ►imply the one day when a woman Day be the central figure of an occasion—may be stared at. and admired, ind perhaps envied. The only human loach was the tears of her mother. Eating then began. We dined at the second table after the Saltan's laughter had finished. Such abunlance- and all good! We had nine touraes. exclusive of hors-d'truvres Kid fruit; thick fish soup, then mutton, then pastry with meat in it. followed by sweet pastry, then a disn of toane. then chickens, thf-n blanc (large made of powdered chicken ireast, next stuffed egg plant, followid by queer jelly, and lastly the dish lhat closes every wedding, rice pilatT, »ith another kind of pilaff strongly laboured with saffron.

We ate rapidly and no one talked; 'or it is bad luck to talk while eating, ft* good-natured women reached gross the table for anything that took ibeir fancy, speared dainties with their forks, spread cut their elbows, and at fee end of the meal gobbled up the fcoit from the epergne with their fin pn in truly piggish fashion. Natwally they needed washing after that. * the silver bowl and graceful pitcher that were offered were useful. this ceremony, but acW^BTthe perfume that was scattered PPoi as we rt-ascended the stairs. ■ Music in the garden, which the Lb watched through the lattices Eaapleted the entertainment for the K|. The affair took us six hours. I Eppeee the other guests stayed until Emr«. We were weary after it; but Erf bee* deeply interested, and felt Bat we were getting an insight into ■wttfeflrftfce Tarkish woman which ■null km got in no other way.