Ceremonial Cu stains of the British Gipsies. 337
permitted, but if not carryint^ its dry pods ; or it might be a besom, such as was made by the Gipsies them- selves from broom, preferably one that had seen some service. It was held by the father either of the bridegroom or of the bride, with one end resting on the ground, and over this would jump first the young man and then the young woman. The elder who was ofificiating would then say: Ne ! kana romerde shan (There! now you are married), or words to that effect, and perhaps admonish the newly-wedded pair. Presents would then be given, and followed by feasting, after which the young couple might go away together for a few da}'s. According to another account, the elder who was going to officiate would himself go and cut two long branches of broom, and lay them on the ground, and over these the bride and bridegroom would leap, backwards and forwards, with hands clasped together. The officiant would then take a ring of rushes twisted by the bridegroom, and put it on the bride's finger half way down, after which the bridegroom would push it into its place. As soon as possible after the marriage this rush ring would be replaced by one of gold, purchased out of the joint earnings of husband and wife, "to bind them together right." One of the Locks, who himself married a Wood, told me that this was the way in which the Welsh gdjos used to be married, and Elias Owen ^^ states that in North Wales in olden times marriages were considered valid when contracted over a besom. Is this Welsh Gipsy rite wholly or partially of Welsh origin, or was jumping over the besom introduced into Wales by the Gipsies shortly after their arrival there about 1700, are questions which naturally arise. Jumping over artificial objects, as exem- plified by the Belford " petting " stone, is a widely-spread Indo-European marriage form, but it is extremely doubtful whether this Gipsy ceremony ought to be regarded as a transition rite. Mr. W. Crooke considers it to be a survival
«* Old Stone Crosses (1886), pp. 62-3.
