VILLAGE LIFE IN THE HOLY LAND 



273 



request with a refusal, for if he objects 

 to this suitor, he will not agree to the 

 amount to be paid for her. The groom's 

 father then offers for the bride a sum 

 far in excess of what he really expects 

 to give, thereby exhibiting his generosity ; 

 but this is only byplay. 



Different men present urge that for 

 their sakes the price be lessened by a 

 certain sum, and so on until the amount 

 is brought down to what the bride is 

 actually known to be worth — that is, to 

 about the habitual price. This offer be- 

 ing finally accepted by the father of the 

 girl and the details of the betrothal con- 

 tract arranged, the kid or lamb which the 

 visiting party has brought with them is 

 killed and dressed. 



As these preparations are in progress, 

 and others drop in from the village, the 

 bridegroom or his father will rehearse 

 the contract with the bride's father over 

 again, so that several witnesses may hear 

 the terms agreed upon in case of a dis- 

 pute arising later. The bride has nothing 

 to say in the matter ; she is not consulted. 



WHAT A BRIDi: IS WORTH 



The price of a bride depends on her 

 age, beauty, usefulness, and the family 

 to which she belongs. The daughter of 

 an influential sheik is greatly sought after 

 and will bring many times the price given 

 for even superior girls from families of 

 less importance. 



The prices range in sums which repre- 

 sent in American money from $100 to 

 $400, besides which the minor expenses 

 bring up the total considerably, often 

 doubling it. 



Among these the bridegroom, accord- 

 ing to his ability, must give a present to 

 the guest-chamber of the bride's village, 

 a new dress to the bride's mother, and an 

 abayeh (outer garment) to her father; 

 and her oldest uncle on both her father's 

 and mother's side must each receive a 

 new garment with a gold coin in the 

 pocket. He has also to provide two 

 feasts, for which a man in average cir- 

 cumstances must furnish 15 fatlings. 



Meantime the father of the bride has 

 given her from the money paid as her 

 price, say from $20 to $40, with part of 



which she gets the proper coins and with 

 them makes her first married woman's 

 headgear. With the rest she buys a 

 couple of pairs of bracelets, some finger- 

 rings, and an iznak, or neck chain. 



The balance of the money the father 

 keeps, just as if he had sold some cattle 

 or produce, except that it is the custom 

 for him to give her an every-day tobe, 

 or dress, a veil, and a mattress, pillow, 

 and quilt. 



the) bride: leaves her native: village 



From the time the trousseau is bought 

 until the actual wedding day, a period 

 from a week to 10 days, there will be 

 dancing every night in the guest-chamber 

 by the men, while the women make merry 

 in the bridegroom's heme. 



When the bride belongs to another vil- 

 lage, they go for her the day before the 

 wedding, the company consisting of the 

 bridegroom and his men and women rela- 

 tives and a lot of his young men friends, 

 all dressed in their best and armed with 

 whatever weapons they may possess, and 

 many of them mounted. They take with 

 them several sheep or goats. 



Upon reaching the village, they slaugh- 

 ter all the animals they have brought, and 

 the entire village partakes of the feast. 

 The bride is now arrayed in her new cos- 

 tume, puts on the married woman's cap 

 and all her jewelry, her face is covered 

 with a green or red gauze veil, and finally 

 there is thrown over her entire person a 

 man's gabardine. 



She is mounted on a horse or camel, 

 and with the firing of guns, the racing of 

 horses, and a great send off, they leave 

 the village, the bride's mother carrying 

 the bridal chest along on her head, she 

 being about the only person who goes 

 with her, except perhaps a sister or fe- 

 male friend. 



As the bride leaves the village she re- 

 ceives a gold coin of about $2 in value 

 from the villagers, which in fact is part 

 of the amount paid by the groom to the 

 guest-chamber, and each of her uncles 

 gives her a present in money. In each 

 village through which she passes on her 

 way she is met and a piece of money 

 given her. 



The bridal party has now arrived at 



