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ACCOUNT OF DANISH LAPLAND BY LEEMS. 451
he has brought, called Gi/he, to her, and promifes new cloaths to her parents as a pre-
fent, which: the Laplanders call Biejatas. When this bufinefs is completed, the lover,
bidding good-bye, departs with his friends. All thefe ceremonies in the bufinefs of
courtfhip, as defcribed, are in ufe, though not always every where, and by all, efpecially
at this day, with the exception of one or two fometimes. If the parents have betrothed
their daughter to a lover, but afterwards broke their faith, they muft make good the ex-
pences contracted on the nuptials as far as they proceeded, according to a regulation
among the Laplanders; fo that not only he fhould receive the fortune and odd-money,
but the expence alfo made in brandy, fhould be reftored to him. During the
efpoufals between two who have pledged their mutual faith to each other, yet going on,
‘the bride vifits fometimes the bridegroom : ona journey undertaken for the purpofe of
meeting her, he delights himfelf by finging her praifes ; to this purpofe he throws out
fuch expreflions as prefent themfelves unpremeditated to his thoughts, and fuch as his
poetic vein may furnifh to him. But this cuftom, that ofa lover vifiting his miftrefs,
and celebrating her in fong, is not obferved at this day by all. When they have met
at the appointed place, and come into her prefence, he prefents her with brandy, and
a little tobacco, if agreeable to her: the is clothed in that neat nuptial garment,
ufually for ornament, which is in ufe among the Lapland women on feftival days, with
this only exception, that whilft women, married as well as unmarried, at other times
almoft go with their head covered, fhe only wears bare curls of hair, which are
bound up with party-coloured fillets; yet, if my memory does not deceive me, in cer-
tain parts of Finmark a girl on the nuptial-day wears fillets, between which and the
common fillets that bind the hair of the Lapland women there is no difference. When
the nuptial ceremony is finifhed, the wedding-day is celebrated with frugality ; the nuptial
guets of better fortunes honour the fair bride with fome prefent, fome with money, others.
with rein-deer fkins, and fuch like things. The nuptials are thus celebrated without
any pomp or oftentation. . .
Among the people of Alten, among whom I difcharged the duties of public inftruétor,
_ they were celebrated in the following manner: when the union was completed, the
bridegroom with his fpoufe, and a few of his relations, withdrew to the folicitor
of Talvig, whofe houfe was adjoining to the church, where (he is called in Norw egian
Bonde Lehnfmand) alfo is held a yearly meeting of the juridical affembly by the gover-
nor. Hither the guefts being invited, were received at a nuptial feaft prepared at the
expence of the hufband. The difhes that were prepared were few and fimple, namely,
~ roaft mutton, with a fmall portion of water and honey, which when taken, the new-
married pair and the guefts retired to their own houfes. I myfelf, by invitation, was
prefent at a nuptial entertainment given by one of thefe Laplanders, celebrating the
nuptials of his fon, where there were no delicacies, nor any thing laid but the above-
named difhes.. The fordid guefts, accuftomed to no luxuries, were fo fatisfied with the
bare pottage put before them, that without doubt they would have forgot the roaft meat,
had not the father of the bride, noticing this, called out loudly, ¢ Roaft meat, roaft meat !
put it before us,” and this placed before them, he himfelf carved, yet in fuch a manner,
as openly to difcover his ignorance in the art of carving.
The nuptial preparations which are in the parifh of Kielvig, at the bay of Porfan-
ger, in weftern Finmark, are yet more fimple and frugal. After the ufual union, the
married pair, with a few of their friends, withdraw to certain fmall huts, fcattered in the
field at no great diftance from the church of Kiftrand, to eat a fheep which is brought
for this purpofe. When this is eat the company breaks up, and the married pair and
their friends return ftraight home. ’
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