A WEDDING IN PERSIA.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 10498, 5 July 1910, Page 6

A WEDDING IN PERSIA.

I entered a tortuqus, covered, dark way leading from a dirty street from the most crowded part of the bazaar in Teheran into what reminded me of the patio of an old Moorish house in Spain, writes Lady Barclay in the Pall Mall Gazette The passage cut into...the wall was like a tortuous way to a, torture chamber of the Inquisition. Here and there a Persian soldier stood near an oil stove in the dark, his tattered uniform looking like a burlesque of war. Unexpectedly the dark ended and a small doorway let me into the inner courtyard of the women's quarters., Two square stone basins of clear, clean water formed the centre of the patio, and stone paths ran ' around them. Stunted trees here ' arid there pushing their squeezed trunks through the paving stones of the courtyard gave the impression of a shabby garden. The house stood at the far end, facing me as I entered, and" the first impression which I receivd was of a moving mass of rather solid butterflies of ■ a cluster of badly painted sweet peas, for so looked the women. You could not say they were not attractive, for they were; but it was like a scene in a play, all done a little wrong to our eyes. I have grown accustomed to these standards, and I can now also see them as they undoubtedly see themselves. This sweet pea effect arises from the headdress they wear, a piece of book muslin stiffened to a curve around the low open brow, flowing free at the sides and behind. There brilliant colored dresses become softened under the white; the hair is cut short and much curled on the forehead with the state of matrimony, while the girls wear it uncut; both have a hundred little braids down their hacks.

Let me here make the surprising statement that the Persian married women have always worn bangs; the innovation of the bang in the' West came from the East; so does one live and learn! They clustered on the floor and on chairs, on a high terrace supported by stucco columns, and the house opened on to this. About fourteen feet below the terrace on- the courtyard path was a huge bonfire; here the same effect of the clumsy flowers was repeated and where the servants sat.

Between us and the house a raised wooden platform covered withrugs held a company of dancing girls and musicians, while on the roofs of the high nincT walks on either side ii crowd or women, '4' gain like clusters.' of flowers, gazed 'down from their housetops next door on to the festivities below. It was a beautiful sight as a whole, vivid of color. . .. .

I crossed the "court, escorted with great ceremony by the oldest' nurse carrying the ,'son„ ; a of ,'6. Halfway I' was iii'et % the ' bride's mother, who with grave:, courtesy - led me .iip.' among the swefct' pea' bunches and into tlie house".'"' 'Sere' perhaps thirty little tables held the. sweets sent for. the.wedding;, the gift of the bridegroom ; they stood in double rows all around the room, and in a little room apart, which, windows ; ; frpnV, the big room looked': into, sat the b'ride's old grandmother. She had a low table covered with a seed pearl embroidered cloth set in front of her, and she sat enthroned like a gorgeous old owl, leaning against gold encrusted cushions and wrapped in priceless cashmere shawls. Her hands crossed, her eyes.smjlingj.sh6 inclined her whole body toward me with a smile, but she 1 did not We only' looked' at' : 'lfer. "She is'the oldest woman here and the most honorable," was whispered .to me, "so. : she sits apart." . .... ... .......'; .-..V ; When the room was quite filled a.iid the four walls lined with the riiinlike figures the oldest woman was'brought in.. She : was., dressed .in. .the. dress -of the'past; a sorb' of cashmere smoking jacket, with a shawl folded around her waist and crossed in front. An enormous emerald, hung by a string of crookedly-pierced pearls, held her coil in place under the chin; her-bright', eyes, shone and twinkled, her' cheeks were rosy with paint, her.;thick..hair was dyed black as night ,and curled-on .the: forehead. .-•••>

"She is a very, very old woman," was'whispered in my'ear, arid to myself I said: "And. a very worldly old. woman stUl, who .'h.ffs eajeri th£..goo<d' tilings of life and thoroughly enjoyed them." She was' one.'of .the*; eighty legitimate wives" of Nazzreddin Shah (I am not indiscreet, among eighty I may surely describe one and be' forgiven). When she was seated she took an orange, and having peeled it stuck a little three-pronged fork into it and handed it to me. This was the sign for all to eat; they exchanged sweets from table to table, talking little.

One woman who arrived late brilliant in a cherry damask gowriJ : and flashing her eyes down the room ;to .o.ne old woman who had remained sitting - when the others rose at her entrance called across, "Why do you not salute" me?" Why do you not speak to me?" Quite a flutter greeted her remark. She continued, "Why do you. not speak?" The woman addressed answered hurriedly, "I am speaking; hear nie." The first woman sank back pacified and the excited_rustle of craning heads stopped. A tiny little girl of 10, quite lovely, came and talked to me. I opened my bag and took out a sachet of yiojet scent which I had and handed it to'her, saying, "Take it; it is>, yours." She held it to her nose, then; pushed it away, answering, "No, I don't want it; it has a nasty smell," At the same time, while her great eyes watched me, *he took up ; a mandarin orange ,:ahd ate ft,' dipping it piece by- piece :deep into the salt. Verily" we tastp with different noses as well as see with different eyes from the -East. Another hour we sat eating, then .we were moved : to the...terrace, given a high place arid told to watch the dancers. They faced "Us below." ibeyond the bonfire and were unique—girls from 12 to 20, no more, their hair cut like the pages ,in. a. .pantomime, bushy arid curled and dyed with henna; they kept tossing it about like a pony's, mane. Dressed in men's trousers with a pleated clothskirt above,the knee, a girdle of silver with a jerkin-like coat,, they were strange' figures/ They clashed tiny cymbals while they, danced; every now and then two •Would' rush off and return dressed in European men's uniforms, meaningless and ill-fitting, .and dance an inane dance. Now and then a. .couple would come back dressed in shapeless low-necked pink sa.tin„gowns, eorsetless,-with sagging skirts, and then a couple in the old costumes- of Persia would come, dignified and..graceful,: and the, spirit of the music would seem satisfied'', By the change. Some,, old woman, would croon the love song which the- dance expressed and harmony was the result. Suddenly there was a commotion,, a ; moment" of expectancy, as a still more important and more ancient lady arrived than-"the oldest woman." She i wa; dressed in beige cloth with no color ' ab< ut her; her-; white coif surrounded., the face of. some old abb'rVs,- ;J3uch aj calm, intelligent old face I nave never seen. She might have sat for the portrait of St. Elizabeth, She "beamed 'oil : all as she. was escorted and passed up.; "She. was seated on the terrace and a special table brought to her. A gold chair. was set Opposite to her' and the. whisper went round, "Now.'she is here the bride may come." I asked who the ancient lady was and was 'answered, "A'very great lady—the bride's father's mother.'A stillness fell on all and from a doorway down the-courtyard the bride, came slowly. The dancing girls walked backward in front of her and the family and friends scattered sweets to the crowd. Such a quiet, well-behaved crowd! -They did riot fight or scramble, -but bent quietly and took what sweets they could reach, while the throwers saw that.all were satisfied. The little bride came toward me; she was a pretty, simple, sweet-faced girl of 16 when I had seen her last. V r As she came I could not control the which went through me a\ the .change they had made in her. Her head was held high and. draped with jgolden Christmas tree hair, her eyes 'were cast down, her face colored scarlet and white, while a pair of beetle eyebrows met in a point over her nose an inch broad, and on her upper lip was shaded' a black moustache. . Is this not crude—-the sign of a man? . I shuddered at the thought that passed undefined but understood through my mind.

They seated her speechless in tho great gold ehair; then she raised her eyes to the ancient lady's face, and they looked into each other's eyes for quite three or' four minutes. It was a wonderful look. Then the girl dropped hers, and.the old woman's expression

soiftened as she leaned toward her and continued gazing. ' ' For half an hour ye sat in silence.line this; then the old woman removed her eyes and turned to the crowd of women watching her as she pointed at the bride, saving: "Sb* Ss all good; what, fault can vou .find:? I am responsible! for her." * Then, the, crowd., of. .flowers canfe a little forward and poured compliments into the hride's ear. She listened speechless, with her eyes cast down. The old lady continued:. "Tell the foreigners she is all good ; they may give her their best gift, praise,". and I leaned toward the little girl, .and kid: "I hope you will vhaye happiness and sons' to bless' you." ~',' ~.: ■■ ! There stood an enormous mirror., at one end of theiroohi, and there ~the bride toward evening. ,wOu]d stand, and the bridegroom who sent jt would look over her shoulder on arriving, and so I they would "see each other for the first time.

We left after the fifth cup of tea; on ordinary occasions the second is the signal for" departure. . The mother's eyes filled' with tears as ' she said': ' 'Good-bye; you will come again, but you will not find her here." She pointed to the bride, whose head was drooping, partly from.'•'.weariness and: partly because of the'"'three or four necklaces that were hung under her chin from ear to ear', forming a helmet. So we pressed her.hand and left-.