Page:Palestine Exploration Fund - Quarterly Statement for 1894.djvu/172

138 The proverbs also are endless, but taken as a whole better than the riddles; here is a few:—

Question 16. ''Are there any peculiar customs at weddings? Putting a shoe or a plate on the bride's head? Throwing a shoe, or rice, or corn after her? Carrying her into the house, holding a sword over her as she enters, or any other customs?''

Answer. As already stated above, I have seen them go into the house with a jug of water on the head (this means obedience to the household), the bridegroom holds the sword over her, to show his superiority, his (quality of lord or defender probably, and he also tries to break the jug.

Question 17. Do the bride and bridegroom wear crowns? Is any umbrella or canopy spread over them? Is a glass of wine broken {as among the Jews), or other such ceremony?

Answer. I have never seen the bridegroom have any peculiar clothing. In many cases, he has not even new clothes, but the bride of the "Kése" has always the red veil over her face and the red mantle on her head, with four black ostrich feathers standing upright at the four corners. The three preceding answers refer only to maiden brides. Widows' marriages are very simple; no processions, in the same veiled way, though some preparatory singing and dancing may take place. As a rule such a wedding ought to be as noiseless as possible, and, in fact, is considered a shame and an insult to the deceased husband. I have seen some men spit in the face of a widow-bride, as she was accompanied by