The Land Beyond the Forest: Facts, Figures, and Fancies from TransylvaniaGerard, E. (Emily)
History
The Land Beyond the Forest: Facts, Figures, and Fancies from Transylvania
Gerard, E. (Emily)
Transylvania (Romania) -- Description and travel
Then follows another banquet, at which each of the church officials
has his place at table marked by a silver thaler piece (about 3_s._)
lying at the bottom of his large tankard, and visible through the clear
golden wine with which the bumper is filled. Etiquette demands that the
drinker should taste of the wine but sparingly at first, merely wetting
the lips and affecting not to perceive the silver coin; but when the
health of the new pastor is drunk, each man must empty his tankard at
one draught, skilfully catching the thaler between the teeth as he
drains it dry. This coin is then supposed to be treasured up in memory
of the event.
This has been but a flying visit to his new parish, and only some
weeks later does the new pastor hold his solemn entry into the parish,
the preparations for the flitting naturally occupying some few weeks.
The village is bound to convey the new pastor, his family, as well as
all their goods and chattels, to the new home, and it is considered a
distinction when many carts are required for the purpose, even though
the distance be great and the roads bad, for the people would have no
opinion at all of a pastor who arrived in light marching order, but
seem rather to value him in proportion to the trouble he gives them. As
many as eighteen to twenty carts are sometimes pressed into service for
this patriarchal procession.
The six white horses which are to be harnessed to the carriage for the
clergyman and his wife have been carefully fattened up during the last
few weeks, their manes plaited with bright ribbons, and the carriage
itself decorated with flower garlands. At the parish boundary all the
young men of the village have come out on horseback to meet them, and
with flying banners they ride alongside of the carriage. In this way
the village is reached, where sometimes a straw rope is stretched
across the road to bar his entrance. This is removed on the pastor
paying a ransom, and, entering the village, the driver is expected to
conduct his horses at full gallop thrice round the fortified walls of
the church before entering the parsonage court-yard.
The village pastor, who lives among his people, must adopt their habits
and their hours. It would not do for him to lie abed till seven or
eight o’clock, like a town gentleman: five o’clock, and even sooner,
must find him dressed and ready to attend to the hundred and one
requirements of his parishioners, who, even at that early hour, come
pouring in upon him from all sides.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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