THE AUSTRIAN PEASANT

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19236, 27 January 1926, Page 8

THE AUSTRIAN PEASANT

QUAINT WEDDING CUSTOMS. SELECTING THE BRIDE. A MERCENARY TRANSACTION. Many of the quaint time-honoured habits of Austrian peasants have been preserved despite the war, the collapse of the old State, and the struggle of socialism against what has been handed down to us from our ancestors, writes the Vienna correspondent of a London paper. This holds good particularly of country wedding customs here, some of which may date far back. The first thing a peasant lad must do who wishes to choose a wife is to select a so-called "marriage-mediator," or "marriage-man" to accompany him on a visit to the parents of the intended bride, which is called the "begging visit." Often suitors use as a pretext their desire to buy a calf or other animal. In other cases they plunge straight into the real subject. On such occasions they are well fed, and if they come to an agreement with the parents the day for the "making sure," or "promising," is at once fixed. On the day of the "making sure" the young man, accompanied by the "mar-riage-mail" and his parents, proceeds to the house of his bride-elect. Everything on the premises is minutely examined and every beast in the stables closely inspected. The amount of debts, if any, has to be stated, and then the parties negotiate (often not without acrimony) concerning the conditions of the marriage. As soon as this mercenary part is over the wedding day, or " honour day" (usually a Tuesday), is fixed. Let Us Venture It. Issuing the invitations to the wedding is a very important affair. The inviter goes round with his stick and hat ornamented with nosegays and ribbons. As a rule the formula of invitation begins with the words: "Praised be Jesus Christ. The neighbour will not take my request amiss!" In Upper Austria, where a fowl in soup is a chief dish at the wedding feast, the formula of invitation commonly ends thus: "And now would beg for a hen or cock!" The birds given in reply (if possible black ones) are tied together by the legs and carried,from house to house.

On the wedding day, before going to church, the bridegroom entertains his guests to breakfast at his father's house, the bride.hers at her parents'. The two. parties meet at the village inn, where the bridesmaids distribute nosegays and wreaths among the wedding guests. Then the procession forms, and, headed by a band, proceeds to the church. Before leaving the house the bride and bridegroom clasp each other's hands, saying: "Let us venture it in God's name." A " False " Bride. In many parts it is customary for the bridegroom and his friends to fetch the bridq from her house. On arriving he finds the house locked, and has to pay for the opening of the door by throwing money over the house. At last, when he is allowed to enter, he is greeted not by the genuine bride but by a false one. Another woman, mostly masked and often rather old, meets him and pretends to be very indignant on hearing she is not the true bride. After this and similar intermezzi the people breakfast together. On the way to church the wedding guests and villagers shoot with their pistols, and the more popular the bridal couple the greater the amount of powder used. Sometimes the procession is stopped by a rope or chain fastened across the street, and the bridegroom has to pay for the right to pass.

When at last the procession has got to the altar one of the bridesmaids puts a small rosemary wreath on the bridegroom's head, which instantly after the conclusion of the ceremony he must snatch off and put in his pocket, for if the bride catches hold of it she will rule the house. The Dance of Honour. The wedding breakfast is everywhere a feast. It often consists of ten to twelve courses and lasts on into the night, as after each course long pauses are made which are devoted to dancing. At the end of the feast is the so-called "bride's dance of honour." The " bride-leader," sometimes masked, steps forward, makes a speech which in some places has been stereotyped for years, at the conclusion of which lie asks the bride to dance with him and to that end to come across the table to him. She then gets on the table and, between the dishes, plates, bottles and glasses, walks the whole length of the table to him. She has to take the utmost care not to upset anything, as this would be an evil omen.

The wadding feast with all its joys and amusements over, the guests are " blown away " or " blown home " by the musicians accompanying them part or even the whole way home.