Show A WEDDING A recollection OF 1805 from chambers edinburg journal july 29 it is well known i in n england that the hin doos marry or are betrothed very yonnaa youn gand nd also that the fair sex is ia so confined to the house douse that the young women after they are ten or twelve years of age see no male mal e persons not even aven their own broto brothers bro ers the houses of wealthy persons are all constructed so that they have no windows that look in into t 0 the streets street but are built in squares the windows looking into the interior the ile only ent reDee is by que one lar large g a gate I 1 ate where the doordan do orwan or porter sits bigit night and day dat for he eats drinks and sleeps inside the gate and when he has oc cassion to go to the river to bathe and say his prayers which he does regularly every morning he is relieved by a trust trustworthy worth y person so that no one can get in or out without the fact being known all europeans of any note also keep a doordan do orwan who when any stranger goes in into the house calls after him blar ca sahib ich ch chabier abber di fice j oe tb that at is to inform the servants of the house thit that a 4 stranger gentleman had come in and let jet the master know by this you will see the place is strictly guarded and it is very difficult to get in except at the durga and other great holidays when three sides of the house are open to stra strangers aad the w women 0 m P n of f t h f ax r TO 10 the fhe zenana or the side of the square opposite the the gate the windows of which are generally glazed with ground glass that gives light but cannot be seen through the great ba boos have their children betrothed whenn when young and as they are never allowed to se see I 1 kr strangers angers the father looks out for suitable matches for them the mothers are out of the question f for or they see no person but their husbands and servants T the he fathers when they have sons or daughters come comb to the age of betrothal which is generally when the boy is twelve and t the h girl eight or nine look out f for or a match for them in some respectable family of their own caste and who can likewise give gike a suitable portion with their children there are also female agents or matchmakers who go about under pretence predence pre tence of selling fine dresses clothing or trinkets and who make a profitable trade in looking out for good looking girls and recommending them to the mothers who ha have sons come to age after they have made an elli gible match the fathers make a bargain for the sums that each is to give to the children to set up house keeping and fix the time when the wedding is to take place to make the arrangement sure a native jakeel or lawyer is employed to draw up the deed with a penalty in case of failure when the wedding is to take place that is when the young couple are to live together which the boy is eighteen and the girl fourteen all the male relations and acquaintances are told there will be a gr great t or proc the wedding and aad they are it the boys father is as rich he will asp q great deal of money Y ott on this fortun casion I 1 remember in 1805 a I 1 very vday rich I 1 with whom I 1 bad W frequent fra quent dealings dealing ii who made all ll 11 bis is moley by trading I 1 I 1 ea europeans having a grand camassa n sons wedding which lasted three d da there was a gorgeous procession ahr 4 the streets of calcutta at that tinier i which not less than one thousand thousia i persons assisted and besides other etherd dev there was a large mountain made of b boos and paper on which were placed I 1 n bers of trees and bushes bashes with wild way an 1 and birds from the elephant and tiger kierr to tod squirrel and mouse and from fro M the cassan 0 s the indian ostrich to the wren all a I 1 of the same sime material in aerial I 1 and painted jio t ii jf I 1 this was carried through the streets on oil H heads of probably not less than a hu hutak I 1 k men a curtain hanging hancine down to 0 reven JAI bearers from being see seen A guard of a aa dred men in anif uniform orin wont went before and H same number followed all with imi tk muskets mask ets on their shoulders covered I 1 ik gun oun cases of red and yellow loth cloth an ana Fer ter mixed with numerous bands of aroa dro torn tom tom sand saad other instruments W N bridegroom in his bis finely dresser dressed n gold embroidered muslins mus lins carried by fot fo men and the girl in her bowlah closely coi ered up with cloth followed close in flu 1 I 1 rear guarded on each side by ft A I 1 of men dressed in I 1 think the pm cession was a quarter of a mile long in ta broad streets and halt half a 4 mile long ia i tin narrow streets beete where black population liw li 11 W after much show and parade of this gunj ki for three days it was intimated when marriage ceremony was to take place aej as there is often a great deal of money t I 1 en away among the poor at this time tagi M is always a great grea attendance of such saph iro i ding guests i 1 I 1 the marriage ceremony is n the square of the fathers Xa house by a J W min of high caste who pronounces an J orate harr angue on the good a 1 6 the bridegrooms bride grooms and brides fat father er the taj 1 0 k those of the bride and bridegroom selves and then a prayer that they ap im brosl prosper per multiply and replenish the 04 ewt ilg i there being great mourning i in the th homel there are no n children even 1 in the first year r the time ti me is is now no come came when the bria i groom first sees his bride brida they jiin hakimi been placed in their balkees under the fhe 4 nana that side of the square ha where Q im of the company are the bride is cl 08 covered up in her hek do dowlan alah and I 1 the bra holding a lookingglass looking glass in his hi fland da I 1 fi ly opens the cloth and holding he fhe f in rout front f of the bride desires ta the bride groi QA to look in it and say whether he is datil to take this lady for his wife if he 64 P yes then the ceremony emady goes on and is eluded with a grand invocation to the 4 end ei ad ing with a great and mighty ming of torn tom toms 1 ta during the noise there is generall A scramble in the streets for money scattered to the poor the company disperse the square is searched by thi the d i the door is looked locked and the ne next q that part of the town is as quiet uie t as i thing had happened I 1 I 1 but if on the fateful question being the bridegroom says no a thing which ly occurs then than there is a stop put t whole pro proceedings edings the company compan Y is 0 sed an and d th the girl taken home to b her er f who returns the duplicate to abe the m maj 1 deed I 1 have only to add that it itis is noti no I 1 for a stranger to get in to see one of 1 I 1 marriages I 1 happened mohave to have a br B of high caste as a writer in my office offic went with me on the occasion refer e and he had bad only to hold up his finger M doorman to procure my admission I 1 11 the doordan a rupee as I 1 passed wh know knew was expected there were a num europeans there but as they were all ailt sed in white clothes with hats hate off thy tha tracked little observation I 1 1 I 1 L Ta Tam massa means a great deal of fun w |