ter a short time the bridegroom left the room, and a little later the
bride was led out to the public guest-hall, supported by two women.
The young man was waiting for her. They took their stand in front of
the ancestral tablet side by side, and now the real wedding ceremony
began.

A wadded quilt, covered with red, was spread on a mat on the floor, the
bride and bridegroom knelt down on it, and three times worshipped their
ancestors, their heads touching the ground each time. Then they turned
round and worshipped "Heaven and earth" in the same way. Afterwards
two cups of wine were brought from the table. The man who was
supporting the bridegroom offered the latter one of the cups, and the
second one was held to the lips of the bride by the women in charge of
her. Then the wine from the two cups was mixed, and each one took a
sip from the same cup, indicating that from now on they were united,
and must share life together, whilst some of the bystanders laughingly
chanted:

Together they walk, each other aid,
The knot is tied, the covenant made.

The first ceremony had come to an end. Bride and bridegroom bowed to
each other, and then the latter lifted the veil, and beheld for the
first time the face of the girl who had been given him to wife! The
crowd was getting excited, and from all sides the shout arose:

Oh, with what joy the hour we hail,
When time has come to lift the veil.

The poor little bride was getting weary, and her bridesmaid led her
back to the bedroom, closely followed by the bridegroom. For a few
moments they took their stand together in front of the bed, but soon
the young man went out of the room, threw off his wedding garments, and
began to help in looking after the guests. Soon all of them were
feasting around a number of square tables, the bridegroom being one of
the busiest in ministering to them.

But the bride had not got over her ordeal. The whole evening she was
made a gazing-stock to all. Any one might go in to stare at her, and
acquaintances of the bridegroom and even strangers who crowded into the
room were allowed to make any remarks they liked. The children were
dancing around her singing:

Little bride, little bride!
You climbed the wall from the other side!

Every now and again this refrain was started, and sometimes a more
mischievous boy or girl would take it up, adding another line:

Little bride, little bride!
You climbed the wall from the