MARRIAGE 83 



sex, and to make the union safe, prosperous, and 

 happy. 



There was no marriage ceremony among primitive 

 folk, and this is still the case with many uncivilized 

 and semicivilized peoples, such as the Eskimos, 

 Tasmanians, Solomon Islanders, and others. As the 

 importance of marriage became recognized, certain 

 ceremonies, which generally had a tribal and reli- 

 gious meaning, were performed on the occasion. 

 Since the bride was to be adopted into the family 

 of her husband, a blood-relationship was established 

 symbolically by the bride and bridegroom, each let- 

 ting blood and smearing the other with it. At times 

 red lead or red powder replaces blood for this 

 purpose. 



Very commonly the only ceremony is a feast, which 

 lasts many days. The fact that the bride and bride- 

 groom have eaton together is in some instances con- 

 sidered to be the most important part of the whole 

 of the ceremony. This signifies the union, the living 

 together of the couple, whereby the bride comes under 

 the subjection of the husband. In Burmah the bride 

 and groom eat hot rice out of a new bowl ; as they 

 eat, some witness cries, "It is done !" and they are 

 man and wife. In some Brazilian tribes, marriage 

 is contracted by the man and woman drinking to- 

 gether. In Scandinavia, the couple used to drink 

 out of one beaker; this still occurs in Russia. The 

 ancient Greeks and Romans had a sacred marriage 

 oeremony which consisted in eating a cake of wheaten 

 flour together in front of the husband's household gods. 



The union of husband and wife is indicated by 

 various other symbolical means. Among some tribes, 



