T K A ^ *34 Ë V S f s Ü R E E C É.
o f remote antiquity. ' One‘has ' been fuppofed'- that which was
called' the craned and Was faid to haive^beenriii vented by Thefeus,
after his efba^e from the labyrinth o f Crete. The peafants
perform -it yearly* in - the ftreet of the French convent, at the
conclufionof- the vintage j jbfning hands, and preceding their
mules and.aflfes, which are laden with grapes in panniers, 1 in a
very curved and intricate, figure l the leader waving a handker-
chieft which has been imagined to denote the clew given‘by-
Ariadne. A grand ^circular dance, in which the Albanian,
women join, is exhibited on certain days'near the tfeiftple of
Thefeus j 'the ‘Compahy holding hands and moving' round the’,
muficians, the leader footing and capering until he is tired*
when another takes his place.. They, have ,alfo, choral dinces.
I was prefent l t a'%eiy lirooflcras Tingle .dime#’ o f the imitate.
Ipefcies, ill a field near Sedicui in Afia Minor j a goat-herd
affuming, to;a tune, all the poftures and attitudes o f which the
human body feemed capable, with a: rapidity hardly'Credible.
M a r r i a g e s are commonly announced by^d€d mufic"il*the
houfe o f thW5 Sfttfe^rboth. A Turk’ or; Greek neither fees nor
fpeaks to the maiden beforehand, but for an account of her
perfon and difpofition relies on his female relations, who have
opportunities-of feeing her in their vifits and at the bath. T h e
Turk, when terms are adjufted with her family, ratifies, the
contfodt before the cadi or; judge, and fends, her prefents. I f
he be rich, a band of. muficians precedes a train o f peafants,"
who carry each a llieep, lamb, of kid, with the Korfis gilded, on
their fhoulders ; and thele are followed by fervants with covered
flaflcets on their heads, containing female ornaments, money,
and the like, for her ufe j and by flaves to attend her. Years
often intervene before he requires her to be brought to hi?
home. The llreets through which ffle is to pafs are theft left'
free ; and Ihe is conducted to his houfe, under a large canopy,
* Lê Roy, p. 22.
fur rounded
T K-AW E 'L S i n G R E E 6 E. *35
furround?4 by a rqultitude of women,t ?11 wrapped in white,
with their faces muffled. | I f a Turlf: finds a; pair of;papouehes
otaflippers -^t the door of his haram, it is a fign that a Granger
is within, and he modefily retire?,. T-hat apartment is even a.
fan&uaryfor females flying from the officers, pLjufticev
? A pa r a s ., oir prieft reads a fervice^ at the Greek weddings,
the t^vo..p?rfons .ftandingtand holding each a wax-taper lighted.
A ring and gilded wreathmt-cj-pwn .is ufed; , and^at the
the. ceremony,.a little boy. qr.girl, as previoufly agreed on, is
le^to thé bride,i and kifiitsJder hand. | She is theft as; .if. .werf
p.athrnnedi in. a chair, and the hufband retnains at a refpedtful
ffiftanpeé with his hands, crofled, filent and looking, at her j
until, the .women eqter and t.ake ,her away, when- the men.
qarp.ufe,in a feparate.apartment. Her: face and hands g ^ ^ g j | |
daubed pver with paint; ,and one, which I faw, had. her forehead
an§ cheeks. be4?cked with leaf-gold.-
X he Albanians, conyey the bride to the houfe of her hufband
in'proceffipu, on horfeback, vvith a child aftridc behind her, a
toofo vefhpr. panopy concealing her head and fffpe,, her fingers
laden'with filycr rings, and her hands?panted;.
ftreaks. -Their drefs is. a red jacket handfomely embroidered,
with a coioureci Turban. I was prefont at one, pf their enE£pr
tainments, which con,lifted of a great,variety o f diffles, chiefly
paftry..ranged, under afong low arbour made with boughs s^thg
company .fitting on. the ground. When the bride.is to be
removed to a place at a diftance, fome women dance before her.
to the end of the town.
m J vyife pf a Turk, whp lived near us, dying,, we were,
alarmed on a fudden with a terrible fflriek of women and yrith
the foué expoftulations of the hufband. She yvas.carried to the
grave at-day-break. Thu Greeks bury in» their churches, oh a
bier. The bones, when room/ is wanting, are. waffled with
wipeint f i e prefence o f thé neareft male relation, and. then.
removed.