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20 May 1880 — Therapia | |
Thursday. 20th May [1880]. I & Mrs Jolliffe went down to Kanlijeh in the steam launch—starting at 10.30 to go to the wedding of Telad Effi’s daughter. Mrs A. Hanson arranged that I shd go & sent her servant to meet me & show me the house. Telad Effi the Sheikh received me at the gate in his flowing Turkish robes & with a green turban round his cap & led us into a curious old painted kiosque with a lovely marble fret work fountain in the middle; in the 3 bow windows were tables laid for dinner. He called his wife a comely matron dressed in pink muslin de laine with her black hair hanging down her back in 2 plaits & a pink handkerchief round her head & she had us to an upper chamber where we had coffee, sweets & cigarettes handed us—but we were very much in want of an interpreter. After making some remarks in broken Turkish & by signs the women said they wd bring a [illegible word] but she came & chattered Greek of wh I understood not a word. At last a handsome girl dressed à la Franka in pink & green—a girl with splendid dark eyes & hair volunteered a little English & we were getting on when all the Hanson family arrived Cumberbatch Cliftons &c &c & they settled the question as they cd all talk Greek. For some time we were taken about from room to room—to sit awhile in each—& after some time the bride made her appearance she wore a red velvet dress all thickly embroidered with gold like a dip: uniform, & had on her head a lot of diamonds—as many as could be heaped on. A long white veil hung down behind striped with gold & she had long strings of gold hanging in bunches from behind each ear down to her knees. The weight of the jewels made it difficult for her to hold her head naturally. Her [hair] was put on the top of her head & only one long curl hung down & mingled with the strings of gold. Unfortunately the yelin or bride was spoilt by the dreadful way she had been painted—otherwise she wd have been pretty. After sitting & looking & admiring we were taken into the large center room & placed opposite the mother in law—a tremendously fat old woman who sat all of a heap & wore a common stuff dress. At last the bride was conducted in held under the arm by 2 friends—& she kissed the hands of the mother in law & then took her place on a chair & waited—the mother in law threw some coins over her head as she stooped to kiss her hand & then small money was thrown among the slaves who scrambled for it. After some time the bride was fetched to go & meet the bridegroom & she was conducted to the harem door where with her veil drawn over her face she met him & took his arm & they entered together, all the women in the harem threw their handkerchiefs over their faces—but it was hardly necessary as the poor man was pale & shy & did not dare to lift his eyes from the ground. His name is Ali Bey & he is quite young. The black eunuchs went before the bridal pair clearing the road & shouting—& showed them into a room banging the doors together after them but in abt a second they threw open the doors & the bridegroom came out having merely deposited his bride on a chair & made her a salaam– It is the old custom for the bride to have diamonds stuck on her face but her father disapproved of it. When we asked abt it they fetched the ornaments & tried to fasten them on bride but had to give it up. They are plaques of gold prepared on purpose & set with diamonds. They stuck one on her chin, another on her forehead—one on each cheek. All the ladies were dressed in their best with their diamonds—some had large brooches with quantities of small diamonds badly set. They were mostly dressed à la Franka the young ones especially had their hair done up in European manner. There was especially one very pretty young woman in a Parisian light pink dress—& it wd have been difficult to find a prettier & more elegant woman anywhere & she had lovely complexion, brown eyes, auburn hair & lovely arms & hands. When we went down to dinner she sat at the table with me & some of the Hansons. The girl who spoke English sat at another with the rest of the party & the mother in law at the other table with her friends. The bride’s mother tucked up dress & petticoats & showed an immense expanse of legs but superintended the serving of the dinner. The cook came to the Harem door with the dinner on a round tray on his head & the eunuchs took it from him. The women slaves waited on us very cleverly. The food was good & quite Turkish & we dined well. We had the regular Turkish table a kind of huge tray just turned up at the edge. After dinner we washed our hands—the slaves held the basins & poured water over our hands & we wiped them with our silver embroidered napkins. One could well understand the necessity of these ablutions after observing the manner in wh the mother in law & her friends had eaten with their fingers. The pretty woman in pink led me back to the upper room & after taking coffee I & Mrs Jolliffe took our leave & got into the launch & went down to town to call on Mrs Gerard Leigh on board her yacht “Chazalie.” We found her at home & she gave us some tea wh was a comfort after our Turkish repast. We had a thunderstorm on the way down but it cleared before we got to the yacht. We found Lady Virginia Saunders & a Miss Taylour on board. At ¼ to 4 we set off home. Found Henry in the garden & sat there with him. Mrs & Capt. Jolliffe, Sir A. Sandison dined with us. Mr Bland came in the eveng. Very hot – | |
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