now raised are not so great as formerly, still I have myself seen the wedding festivities suddenly turned into a scene of confusion, and even danger, several persons being wounded, in the Christian village of Ramallah, before the Shechs from the next Moslem village of Bireh could be called in to make peace. The standard of the Ḳais is red, and that of the Yemâni white, and the bride must adopt the colour of her husband's faction. It was formerly necessary that she should wear a veil of one colour lined with the other, which could be turned according to the village through which she passed.
An interesting vestige of matriarchate times is that, in some districts, the maternal uncle will cause the stoppage of the entire procession by refusing to allow the bride's steed to go further, until he receives a gift of money from the bride's father, which he hands over to her. All presents to the bride are her own property.
Of course there are variants of these proceedings. In some places the bride walks in the procession, other details being the same. Again, where her new home is distant, the procession may take place by daylight.
On nearing the bridegroom's home, he and his friends press forward so as to be ready to receive her. Meanwhile her maidens take the opportunity for her further adornment, painting her face, colouring her eyebrows, and affixing patches of gold paper to her cheeks and forehead. The veil is replaced, as only the bridegroom has the privilege of removing it.
Arrived at the house, he lifts her from her horse, and
beautiful daughter. Her numerous suitors were reduced to two,—one favoured by herself and the other by her family. Confident in the prowess of her lover, she consented to marry the one foremost in various prescribed feats of valour. The rivals were always equally successful, and finally she decreed that they should be tested in single combat. Both were killed, and the girl drew a dagger and slew herself between their bodies. The two factions are still fighting out the question. (More prosaic interpretations are also vaguely assigned.)
