fruit, yvhich the bride fcatters.upon the Svati, by handfuls,, behind
her- back. The bride does not fit at the great table, the
firft day,, but has,-one-apartfor herfelf, t ie two Divert and the
Stacbee, : The -bridegroom fits at table with the Svati, but in
all that day, confecrated to the matrimonial union, he mull
neither unlocde, nor cut any thing whatever, The Knum carves
his, meat, ..an-foqutsi -.his bread. It is the Domacbiri’s bufinefs-,to
give the,toails j $nd. the Stan-fvat is the -firit who pledges him.
Generally the Bukhara, a very large wooden cup, goes round,
firil to the Saint Protestor o f the family; next to the profperity
e f the holy faith; and, fometimes, to a name, the moll fub-
lime, and venerable. T h e moll extravagant abundance -reigns
at thefe Jeafts, t and. each o f the ¿Jae/x «contributes,; by fending -a
ihare o f provjfiops.,,. The dinner begins- with fruit, andicheefe,
and the fou-p comes-lail, ju ll contrary to our cuftom. All forts
e f domeftick fowls, kid, lamb, and fometimes, venhsu, are
heaped in prodigal quantities upon their tables ; (x but 'very
rarely a Moi'iacco eats veal, and-perhaps never, .un-lefs hey,has
been perfuaded tQ do it out o f his own country. This abhorrence
to calves flefli is very ancient among the Moflafcchi.-.'flSt,
Jerome, againil Joyinian,.^^takes notice of it : and etamtSfh-Mar-
navich, a« ifofnian-; writer,,, who..lived in the beginning o f ,.the
laft age,: fays,.-that, the? Dalmatians, uncorrupted iby.the Aufiés
o f ftrangers, abftained froip eating calves, flefli, as, awivnifljan
food, even to his days, -f The women relations, i f they are invited,
never dine.at table with'the! men, it being an eftablrfhed
cuftom
* A t -in noflra Pijovjncia fcelus piitànt vitulos devcxrare.. D .' Hier, contra: Jpvin»
; ?f vAd hanc diëm D a lm a tæ , quos.peregrina vitia non infecere, ab efa Vrtulorum
non fecus ac ab knmunda efca abhorrent. Jo. Tom. Mar-h. m op. ined. de Iily-
rica, Cæfaribusque flly.riciV.
cuiloni forthem to dmé by themfel ves. After dinner, they pafs the
reft o f the day in dancing, linging ancient fongs, and in games o f
dexterity, or o f wit, and fancy ; and in the evening, at a convenient
hour after fupper, the three ritual healths having firil
gone round, the Knum accompanies the bridegroom to the matrimonial
apartment, which commonly is the cellar, or the fiable,
whither the bride is ¡allô conducted by the Divert, and the
Stacheo ; but the three lall are obliged to retire, and the Knum
remains alone with the new married couple. I f there happens
to be any bed prepared better than ftraw, he leads them to it,
and having untied the bride’s girdle, he caufes them both to un-
drefs each other reciprocally. It is not long lince the Knum
was obliged to undrefs the bride entirely, bat that cuftom is
now out o f ufe; and, inftead o f it, he has the privilege o f kifT-
ing her as often as he pleafes, wherever he meets her; which
privilege may poftibly be agreeable for the firil months, but
muft fbon become very difguftful. When they are both un-
drefled, the Knum retires, and ftands Iiftening at the door, i f
there be a door. It is his bufinefs to announce the confum-
mafion o f the marriage, which he does, by difcharging a piftol,
and is anfwered b y many o f the company. The next day, the
bride, without her veil, and -virginal cap, dines at table with
the Svati, and is forced to hear the coarfe equivocal jefts o f her
indelicate, and fometimes intoxicated company.
Thefe nuptial feafts, called Sdrave by the ancient Hubs, are
by our Morlacchi called Sdravize, from whence our Italian word
Stravizzo is undoubtedly derived, They continue three, fix,
eight or more days, according to -the ability or prodigal diipofi-
tion of the family where they are held. The new married wife
gets no inconfiderable profit in thefe days o f joy. And it ufually
L amounts