Page:History of Corea, ancient and modern; with description of manners and customs, language and geography (1879).djvu/342

 314 COKEAN SOCIAL CUSTOMS. procession is a servant on horseback^ carrying a life-size likeness of a wild goose, covered by red cotton cloth, which he holds with both handa Then follows the bridegroom, also on horseback; his groom riding after him, all his other servants following on horseback. The bridegroom's father brings up the rear, with his servants behind, all riding, — the number of horses and amount of display being bounded only by the purse of the parties, but in all cases implying great expense. Arrived at the house, the wild goose man first dismounts, enters and places the wild goose on the top of a huge bowl of rice, and then retires. The father then dismounts outside the main gate, and the bridegroom last of all. Etiquette demands that all the company should stand facing the east, in which position they doflF their grand oflScial hats, richly embroidered outer robes, and boots, worn by permission on this day by plebeian as by my lord. In their ordinary apparel, they are now led into the house by the bride's father, who has come out to welcome them, the bridegroom advancing first of all. No sooner are they comfortably seated, than a scene of the greatest confusion and uproarious mirth takes place. The bridegroom is a scholar, and has been accompanied by all his fellow-scholars, who now suddenly dash on him in a body, and carry him ofiF in spite of all striving and remonstrance on his part They hold him a prisoner till his father-in-law redeems him with a handsome bribe, on which they hand him over, and depart to make merry with their plunder. The bridegroom's party is then regaled with food, after partaking of which they all depart, each of the servants with a little present of money, leaving the bridegroom alone to pay his respects to the ancestral tablet of his bride. And in the evening he is introduced into the bride's chamber, which is decked out with flowers, two bowls of rice on the kang, in each of which is stuck a yellow candlestick and a burning candle. There he remains alone, till the bride is by and by escorted by her mother and female relations in the house, and the married people see each other for the first time. They are at once left