| caption: |
wedding ceremony , groom absent |
| text: |
In the afternoon I asked Me-dzou to describe once more the wedding ceremony (notebook 6 p. 125 following). The strange thing is that the groom is absent during the only imposing ceremony which fulfils the actual wedding. The bride comes to the house of his parents in the evening accompanied by her relatives but he spends the night in the morung. Often a betrothal is already arranged when the couple are still small children. If, however, they do not care for each other later on the engagement is easily broken off. No girl is forced to marry against her will and two people in love can insist on a marriage against the wish of their parents. |
