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The Bridal Bed

Traditionally, Preparation on the part of the groom involved the installation of the bridal bed on the day before the wedding. A propitious hour and a ‘good luck woman’ or ‘good luck man’, that is a man or women with many children and living mates, were selected to install a newly purchased bed. (The installation ceremony consisted of merely moving the bed slightly; the actual work was done by servants or friends.)

The parents of the groom will provide the Happy Couple with a new bed complete with all the necessary components. Comforters, pillow cases, sheets and anything else that goes with making the bed warm and comfortable are part of this gift. The parents of the groom will make the bed, and the groom will sleep on this bed the night before the wedding.

After the bed was in place, children were invited onto the bed as an omen of fertility; the more, the merrier. For the same reason, the bed was scattered with red dates, oranges, lotus seeds, peanuts, pomegranates and other fruits. Part of the fun was watching the children scramble for the fruit.

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