Page 336 - Neglected Arabia Vol 2

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NEGLECTED ARABIA i.;

Within the mum the curtain was lifted and the grown made to sll on
the mattress, his back to the bride. Jt was necessary for them in sit-with
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their heads touching. She had been raised on a cushion, but even .mi was
much shorter than he, being a child of only thirteen. (This seems unusual,
however, for the Saliean girls are generally full grown when married. J
Thus the groom had to sit forward on the mattress and recline back against
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the bride, a position much more comfortable for him than for her. The
priest read for some time from their Mandean book, then tied one piece 1 =
of myrtle on the groom’s arm and a second piece on the girl’s forehead
under her abba.
A murmur of laughter ran through the audience as the priest placed
one hand on the head of the bride and his other on the head of the grown.
The latter smiled up at the priest and said, "Do not hit us. hard." The
priest also smiled, then three times bumped their heads together. They
say that sometimes, just to tease the pair, he bumps the heads together so
hard that both of them have big lumps afterward. 'This finished, the priest i
set himself the arduous task of finishing the necessary reading as cpiicklv
as possible. Ho read breathlessly without a pause and was himself nearly
exhausted at the end. Uf course, no one understood it anyway, so perhaps !■
lie thought there was no use reading impressively. The men then returned
in the courtyard booth where the reading continued for some lime longer. I
When it was finished the bride and groom were each left imprisoned alone
iu their respective places for an hour, then were freed.
For seven days they sit to receive callers. On the following Sunday -
weddings are always performed on Sunday, it being their holy day—they
arise at daybreak and go to some nearby garden for several hours. When
they return, they with their clothing, jewelry and dishes must lie again i
baptized. With that baptism the wedding is ended;
Followers of John the Baptist, yet from his teaching they have caught
wily an outward form. His message of repenienee and inward cleansing
h.n no hold upon them. They have not listened to his call to follow < >ue
uho shall baptize with the Holy Spirit, so their religion has become a set f
uf rules and ceremonies mixed with many pagan ideas, and it binds upon
ihem burdens truly grievous to be borne.
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