After a painting by L. Herterich.
]
Among the nobility as well as among the patricians weddings were great
feasts, which extended over weeks and to which all relatives and friends
from near and far were invited. After the priest had given his blessing
to the young couple, the servants prepared the banquet table. Bridegroom
and bride, occupying the place of honor, sat side by side on the
beautiful bridal chair, eating and drinking from the same plate and the
same goblet, to indicate, that now they regarded themselves as one soul
and one body.
If the young couple belonged to the nobility, the bridegroom led his
bride to his castle in a pompous cavalcade. A number of shield-bearers,
bedecked with flowers and ribbons, rode ahead, followed by a band of
musicians and singers. Then came the bridal pair on horseback, as well
as the parents of the bride, and the attendants. Such a cavalcade was
hailed everywhere, especially in those villages which belonged to the
dominion of the young nobleman. At the gate of the castle, however, the
parents of the bridegroom and all the other inhabitants of the castle
were waiting to welcome the new mistress with all honor.
It must be said emphatically, that the great respect paid to their women
by the Germans was indeed well deserved. For the majority of the German
women were not merely good housekeepers, affectionate wives and loving
mothers, but at the same time patronesses of everything that is
beautiful. It was for them, that the homes became comfortable and
artistic, as most of those exquisitely carved chests, buffets, tables,
chairs and beds, which are now the show-pieces of our museums, were
ordered by rich women fond of art. They adorned the cupboards of their
cozy and paneled rooms with costly vessels of crystal and silver; they
covered the floors with fine rugs and hung the walls with tapestries,
etchings and paintings of famous masters.
This taste for the beautiful would not allow the exterior of the houses
to be neglected. Carvings, paintings and flowers were seen everywhere;
even the most insignificant objects, such as the weather-vanes on the
roof, and the brass-knockers on the doors were ornamented.
[Illustration]