BujiGem/Marriage
Marriage customs of Gem (loosely based off of Middle Eastern cultures).
I have broken the customs into three areas; commonwealth, merchant class and ruling family. The commonwealth is obviously the majority of Gem from the street urchins to the steadily employed. The merchant class is just that, the ruling houses of trade (not to be confused with the houses that control the monopolies) or individuals with a personal high income (i.e. Resources •••). The ruling family is specifically for the Despot and his family. If the Despot has a particularly large family those members that are removed by more than two generations are treated as merchant class.
There are a few traditions all examples follow, first and foremost is the superstition that marriages cannot be announced nor planned for during the month of Descending Fire or Calibration. It is believed that to do so it to bring great peril upon the houses that wed and ill omens for generations to come. Weddings occur between the months of Resplendent Air and Resplendent Earth, but the planning usually begins a week after Calibration unless a tragedy has struck the family during the Calibration. Weddings are usually announced to celebrate life and surviving the Calibration with loved ones around.
Commonwealth weddings usually take place earlier in the year due to the cooler climate and that they take place outdoors. Days before the official ceremony takes place a few things occur. The groom is presented with his dowry for the marriage (Resources • or •• in middle-class families) in whatever means the family can obtain, usually in the crop, a product the family specializes in or heirlooms. The bride and the groom are given separate parties commemorating the upcoming celebration. During this time the bride is marked with henna upon her hands and face to signify her entrance to a marriage proposal. The groom is not marked in any signifying manner to announce his entrance into the marriage. Very few people outside of the families involved would be invited to this union.
The wedding itself is held outside during the morning hours as the sun is rising towards it zenith, signifying the rising relationship and the path of their lives together. There is much song and dance throughout the entire ceremony. This is also the first time the couple will have seen each other since the announcement of their marriage. The eldest of the two families reads from the Durad. The Durad is a holy text from the region full of prayers it is read to appease all the spirits and gods in this union. As further tribute the new couple will sacrifice something to the little gods, usually some form of livestock or expensive item depending upon the wealth of the families involved. From this point the bride and groom are taken to separate dinners paid for by the bride’s family. There is more song and dance during the feasts.
Once the feasts have concluded the couple is sat together for the first time at the head of a table from which they read from the last chapters of the Durad to the families. This section blesses the families who have come to celebrate and blesses that which is to come into their lives. After the Durad is read the bride leaves with the groom and his family to the groom’s house. From there the dawat-e-walima occurs. It is a reception from the groom’s family to the bride, where she is bestowed with buri (gifts and jewelry of at least Resources •). Once the dawat-e-walima is finished the bride and groom will live together in his house.
Merchant class weddings also take place outdoors. A week before the official ceremony takes place a few things occur. The groom is presented with his dowry for the marriage (Resources •• or ••• in higher class families) in whatever the family deals in usually a share of crop, product or heirlooms. The bride and the groom are given separate parties commemorating the upcoming celebration. During this time the bride is marked with henna upon her hands and face to signify her entrance to a marriage proposal. The groom is not marked in any signifying manner to announce his entrance into the marriage. These weddings are planned months to a year out if not pre-arranged, they will also always be scheduled around caravan arrivals so as to not affect business poorly.
The wedding itself is held outside during the morning hours as the sun is rising towards it zenith, signifying the rising relationship and the path of their lives together. Local commoners usually gather to witness the union as well as other notable merchant families. In significant union the Despot has even been known to attend the union. There is much song and dance throughout the entire ceremony. This is also the first time the couple will have seen each other since the announcement of their marriage. The families will have a Qazi, a ceremonial leader for the Durad’s reading, read from the Durad. From this point the bride and groom are taken to separate dinners paid for by the bride’s family. There is more song and dance during the feasts.
Once the feasts have concluded the couple is sat together for the first time at the head of a table from which they read more from the last chapters of the Durad to the families. This section blesses the families who have come to celebrate and blesses that which is to come into their lives. After the Durad is read the bride leaves with the groom and his family to the groom’s house. From there the dawat-e-walima occurs. It is a reception from the groom’s family to the bride, where she is bestowed with buri (gifts and jewelry of at least Resources ••). Once the dawat-e-walima is finished the bride and groom will live together amongst the merchant families holdings.
Ruling family weddings take place indoors in the lowest levels of Gem. A week before the official ceremony takes place a few things occur. The groom is presented with his dowry for the marriage (Resources ••••) in usually land, slaves, product or heirlooms. The groom and the bride's father sit down with advisors to draft a marriage contract. The bride and the groom are given separate parties commemorating the upcoming celebration. During this time the bride is marked with henna upon her hands and face to signify her entrance to a marriage proposal. The groom is also marked across his face to announce his entrance into the marriage. These weddings are usually planned for years in advance, if not pre-arranged, as so proper invitations and attendance may be expected. All neighboring rulers in good standing with the family will be invited.
The wedding itself is held at an inner sanctum during the morning hours as the sun is rising towards it zenith, signifying the rising relationship and the path of their lives together. There is much song and dance throughout the entire ceremony. Heads of state and notable merchant families are in close attendance. The entire population of Gem will be lingering outside of the halls, literally dripping in through any opening to witness the union. This is also the first time the couple will have seen each other since the announcement of their marriage.
The bride and groom enter the hall from opposite ends, to meet in a ring in the middle of the audience that had come to witness the wedding. Both are dressed in the finest examples of the traditional dress of their tribe. The groom brandishes a golden scimitar and performs the Shadam-rushaka, a 193 movement kata signifying his strength and virility. While he dances the bride sings the Kahla to him, a song of passage for the bride signifying her entrance into womanhood. He is proving his worthiness as the family defender and she is showing support of her would be protector and showing that she too has womanly talent. The Shadam-rushaka ends and he offers up the scimitar to her and says “My sword and life is yours, it is my duty and my love to protect you”. The bride then takes the scimitar (unless she backs out, which is very shameful) and holds it up for all to see. She then hands it back to him and says “Take this sword, so that you may do your duty, I shall also do my duty to you and bare you many sons, I am honored to call you husband”.
The families will have a Qazi, a ceremonial leader for the Durad’s reading, read the entire Durad. The bride ang groom will repeat ceratin verses of the text after the Qazi adding the word "qarad" to the phrase. From this point the bride and groom are taken to separate dinners paid for by the bride’s family. There is more song and dance during the feasts.
Once the feasts have concluded the couple is sat together for the first time at the head of a table. The groom presents the father of the bride with a prize animal, usually a fine steed. They also read the last chapters of the Durad. This section blesses the families who have come to celebrate and blesses that which is to come into their lives. They then turn to the crowd who cheer for them, and they pronounce together “We are one”. After the Durad is read the bride leaves with the groom and his family to the groom’s house. From there the dawat-e-walima occurs. It is a reception from the groom’s family to the bride, where she is bestowed with buri (gifts and jewelry of at least Resources •••). Once the dawat-e-walima is finished the bride and groom will live together in the new ruling house's estate.
Comments
Many thanks to Alabrax and JanetT for fine ideas to help out my wedding plans. - Buji
I plan on letting everyone know how this goes when the PC marries into the Gem hierachy. I will have more coming in the Summer of 2005. -Buji
