OCR Text |
Show It's the Month of Madness Marriage Maybe it's no accident that 'Tune" and "loon" rhyme; the whole world seems to react to weddings in the wackiest ways'. By MARYA SAUNDERS besets the U.S. this month as 400,000 nervous brides and grooms and legions of apprehensive parents; bridesmaids, and best men are caught up in the strange mixture of ritual, custom, rented tuxedos, and lavish receptions that accompany weddings. If all this JwpUarpandemohium places a strain K ANNUAL MADNESS .iL- - on American nerves and poeketbookspthere is consolation in the knowledge that things are finitely worse in other countries. In Bangkok, or Calcutta a wedding in the family is as likely to be a disaster as a blessing. And in Baghdad, parents get a haunted look in their eyes as soon as the youngsters get that gleam in theirs: g Here, according to our research, are the four basic problems that beset the marriage-minde-d the answers some of eyerjhere-plu- s tar-flun- them navefciittdr D " " T """r Haw Much Is a Groom Worth ? Americans expect a groom to bring only a ring, a best man, and himself to his wedding, while the father of the bride is expected to supply invitations, dinners, receptions, champagne, flowers, orchestras, clothes, linens, silver, china, etc. But all this is Greek and nothing compared with the going-ovIndian dads get. Indian families with a surplus of daughters often teeter close to bankruptcy. Besides staging a spectacular wedding and giving lavish presents of cash and sweetmeats to the bridegroom's family, the bride's fatherjs expected to fork over a huge dowry. Rich families, especially those with homely daughters, find they must even raise the ante with such fringe benefits as an education " abroad for the groom. The final blow often comes during the wedding breakfast when the Indian groom is entitled to ask for one last gift, which must be handed over immediately. Two years ago, an Indian father, who earned $38 a month and had already spent $1,000 on his daughter's dowry, was staggered er when his asked for a $95 radio as a wedding gift. The distraught father rushed to a moneylenderand is still paying off the loan: He has no hope of buying husbands for his remaining two , daughters. In Greece, dowries are still compulsory and can cost a rich father $25,000 to $100,000. To help the poor, the government has established a free savings plan. Some 120,000 baby girls now have accounts of $33 which, in 20 years, will be worth around $88. D How Much Is a Bride Worth? In many lands, however, it's the groom who is saddled with "purchasing" the bride. In Africa, even before a man thinks of marriage, he must consider his cattle resources. If he hasn't enough cows, sheep, or goats to distribute among his girl's relatiyesr hell just have to forget heiv When actress Carroll Baker was recently in Africa making a movie, one chieftain took such a fancy the airector for $750 in casnlSO cows, plus 200 goats and sheep. Carroll was flattered; the going price for brides is $200. and 12 cows. Prospective grooms in Central Java were recently confronted with an extraordinary kind of marriage fee. Couples registering for marriage must present 25 dead rats! The ruling was designed to help curb the rat population. How Do You Pick the Day? In some countries, astrologers ptya busy trade scanning the stars for suitable times for weddings. For example, not one marriage was performed for the 372 million Hindus in India in February, 1962, because the end of the world had been predicted for thafmonth. .Currently, astrologers believe March, April, May, and June are the only -good months for a wedding. When Hope Cooke, the New York debutante, announced her engagement to the Prince of Sik- kirn, the court astrologers of Jiis iinyJIimalaya kingdom threw up their arms in dismay. "They didn't like the conjunction of mv Dlanets.THoD' told reporters. "They finally decided that Mh'e. Prince and I waited, the heavens would be more son-in-la- w propitious." The marriage was postponed a year. It is widely believed that late spring, especially the month of June, is extremely good for. fruitful marriages, since it is the time farmers in many parts of the world have completed planting their most productive crops. O How Dp You Survive the Wedding? The average American bride throws her bouquet to her bridesniaidsIn France she would have been jostled and battered by the bridesmaids scuffling for possession of her garner, which was considered good luck and promised immediate marriage to the holder. Most of the world's marriage customs have placed hardships on women. Typical is a ceremony still prevalent among the Bayankole tribe in the Congo. The groom leads his bride among the assembled gues ts with a strong rope tied to one of her legs. Sides are chosen bymembers of he bride'a andiidegroom's relaivndjajug. of war takes iplace. Cusmlecrj that the gr bom Tmally wTIFdrag MrWTdeinto li arms, slip the rope from her ankle, and hurry home with what is left of her! Occasionally, the ladies pay their men folk back for such rough treatment. The mother of a bride in the Roro tribe in British New Guinea celebrates her daughter's wedding day by striking wildly with a wooden club at every inanimate object - within reach and shouting mock curses on tne groom wno nas "stolen" the girl. Among Eskimos in the Arctic, there ditio' that the bride must be carried to her groom's hut kicking, biting, noV screaming. Once there, she cheerfully gives up the struggle and takes possession of . her new home. If this sounds familiar, you probably recog- nize, the American custom of thesroom carry ing the bride over the threshold of their new is homeLike the Eskimo bride's biting and is a throwback 4o the primitive days when man carried his unwilling woman into his cave. The symbolism remains today. But unwilling ? Not after all that work the girl has gone through. 14th-centur- y- is-atr- i - kick-ingth- ILLUSTRATION COVER: a- NED BUTTERFIELD BY W&Glrfyjune 7, 1964 As new manager of the New York LEONARD S. DAVI DOW Yankees, Yogi Berra shows per- PATRICK E. O'ROURKE President and Publisher Publisher ERNEST V. HEYN Editor-in-ChiBEN KARTMAN Executive ef WAITER C. WKifMS Associate Executive Vice President and Advertising Director WILLIAM V. HUSSEY Advertising Manager MORTON FRANK Vice President, Publisher Relations Advertising office: 179 N.Michigan Ave., Chicaqo, III. 60601 Editorial office: 60 E. 56th St., New York, N.Y. 10022 Business office: 1727 S. Indiana Ave., Chicago, III. 60616 k plexity and a eonfidentstnile forr Ozzie S weet's camera. on For more Yogi's charm, see p. 1U. rr 1964, PROCESSING AND BOOKS, Editor ROBERT FITZGIBBON Managing PHILLIP DYKSTRA Art Director MELANIE DE PROFT Editor Food Editor Rosalyn Abrevaya, Arden Eidell, Hal London, Jack Ryan; Peer J. Oppenheimer, Hollywood. INC., Chicago, III. All rights reserved. |