After taking some brandy, the whole party go to bed. The bride
and bridegroom sleep together with their clothes on.
When the company rise in the morning, if the bridegroom’s father
and their party have any thing left, they treat the others with it : for
the family of the bride have seldom any preparation made, not being
supposed to expect such company; and they never keep any brandy
by them, but purchase it for every occasion. Whatever cold meat
therefore remains is brought forward, to which the bride’s party
add cheese, and any other preparation o f milk, that they may have in
store. With these the party regale themselves by way of breakfast.
Finally the family of the bride boil some fresh meat, as a last repast for
their guests. After partaking of which they take their leave.
The banns are usually published once. The marriage ceremony,
which is very short, is performed after the bridegroom’s company have
departed. This being over, the bridegroom ,either takes his wife immediately
home with him, or he goes to his own hut alone and stays a
few days; after which he returns to her residence, bringing with him
his herd of rein deer, and stays for some time with her. Such of the
Laplanders as are rich enough to afford it, make their wives a present of
a coverlet, a petticoat made o f eloth, a small silver cup, several rix-
dollars and silver rings, a spoon, &c. So that many a bride costs her
husband a hundred copper dollars. To her mother he perhaps gives a
silver belt, as well as a cloth petticoat.
Among a nation so illiterate as the Laplanders, and where there is
no occasion either to sow or reap, we cannot expect an accurate
astronomical division of the year. They have no months at a ll; but
time is divided by weeks, and they have names for all the festivals,
their knowledge of the recurrence o f which is no doubt derived from
the clergy, who themselves obtain it from the Swedish almanacs.
The following are their names for the days of the week:
Sunday, Sotno peivi.
Monday, Mannutaka.
Tuesday, Tistaka.
Wednesday, Kaska vacku, or middle o f the week.
Thursday, Tourestaka.
Friday, Perietaka.
Saturday, Lavutaka.
The principal festivals are distinguished by particular names. Midnight
is called kaskia. The remainder o f the night before dawn,
pójela kaskia. The morning dawn, theleeteilyja. Sun rise, peivi
morotak. Two or three hours after sun-rise, areiteet. The hour of
milking the' rein-deer, which is about eight or nine o’clock, arrapeivi.
Noon or dinner time, kaskapeivi. About five or six in the afternoon,
éketis peivi. Sun-set, peiviliti. Night, id.
The riches o f the Laplanders consist in their rein-deer, and in the
extent o f the ground on which they feed. The poorer people have
from 50 to 2ÓO of these animals; the middle class from 3oo to 700,
and the rich possess á thousand or more. The lands are from three to
fivé Swedish miles in extent. Wild rein-deer are uncommon in Lapland.
They chiefly occur on the common between Granoen and
Lycksele. It very often happens that those whose herds are large, lose
some of their rein-deer, which they generally find again in the ensuing
season, and they then drive them back to their old companions. I f
they will not follow the herd they are immediately killed.
This animal feeds almost entirely upon the lichen rangiferinus, or
rein-deer moss, which grows in prodigious quantities in Lapland,
whitening whole districts o f great extent. Sometimes in autumn,
when there is no snow lying, a sudden frost freezes up this plant.
When this fails, the animal has no resource, for he will not eat hay.
His keepers fell the trees in order to supply him with the filamentous
lichens that clothe their branches; but this kind of food does not supply
the place o f that which is natural to him. It is astonishing with
what readiness he gets at his proper food through the deep snow that
Covers it, and by which it is protected from the severe frosts. The
rein-deer feeds also on frogs, snakes, and even on the mountain rat
(mus lemmus), often pursuing the latter to so great a distance as not to'
find its way back again.