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Chapter Five TRADITION, EDUCATION, AND CULTURE While striving to earn a living, peddling and otherwise, most young Arab Americans had the goal of marriage to spur them on.The marriage customs described in this book followed a traditional pattern in the Christian ArabAmerican community. (Since many early Muslim and Druze Arab Americans had returned to their homelands or died by the late1980s, my primary source data on their marriage ceremonies is inadequate.) Weddings take different forms among Muslims and Christians, but all are occasions for festivity and socializing. A Muslim wedding does not have what Westerners think of as a marriage ceremony. Instead, Muslims have a home ceremony in which the formalities of the religious union are settled prior to the ceremony, when the wedding contract is signed in the presence of a religious functionary and the family members. This is followed by a large reception with dancing, music, feasting, and gift giving. Christian weddings are performed in churches and also are followed by large receptions. Arranged Marriage Among both Muslims and Christians arranged marriages and gifts of gold to the bride-to-be were customary. Marriage was arranged through a network of relatives, friends, clergy, brokers, and acquaintances of the prospective bride or groom. There was no dating before marriage. Lori H. commented about arranged marriages in her grandmother’s day: Oh, that’s criminal. How can anyone pick a mate for somebody else? How can your parents tell you whom to marry and all that, but I guess at one time this was not that impractical because they were in a tight community and the unity was important. I guess marriage had a kind of dual purpose as the children were married, and the main purpose was to procreate. The clergy were among those who helped to arrange and assisted in the marriages by making known the availability of persons from differ91 92 ARAB-AMERICAN FACES AND VOICES ent areas who otherwise would not meet. Very Rev. Michael M. Husson (1860–1939) was well-informed as to who was available for marriage. He was a familiar sight in el-tellee with his curly black hair falling below his shoulders, his curly black beard, his long, flowing, wide-sleeved black cassock, and black valise. As stated by Metropolitan-Archbishop Samuel David of the Syrian Orthodox archdiocese of Toledo, Ohio and Dependencies , ‘‘Very Rev. Michael Husson, the first pastor of this Church and Parish was the first Syrian Priest to be ordained in the United States.’’ Bishop David also stated that ‘‘St. George’s Orthodox Church and Parish of Worcester is one of the oldest Antiochian Orthodox Churches and Parishes in the United States.’’ These statements appeared in the Golden Jubilee 1956 program book of St. George Syrian Antiochian Orthodox Church (now St. George Orthodox Cathedral). Also, Father Husson’s name appeared with the designation of Protopriest (first priest) before his name as pastor of St. George Orthodox Church on a few of the early baptismal records of parishioners at Church of St. Mary’s Assumption (now St. Mary’s Assumption Albanian Orthodox Church) when he was called upon to officiate. Additionally , the consensus of people interviewed was that Rev. Husson was the first resident priest of the Syrian Orthodox Church (forerunner of St. George Orthodox Cathedral). Some narrators talked about Father Husson’s brisk pace when performing his ecclesiastical orders, for example, the blessing of homes with holy water and reciting prayers, and his travels to different localities across the United States to administer the Holy Sacraments of baptism, matrimony, and communion to Arab Americans who were sick or dying. Michael N. A. recalled the travels of Father Husson: It was Rev. Michael who told my family about their relatives living in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. . . . Father Husson came from Worcester and he would travel all over theWest because there was no Syrian Orthodox priest. He went from one town to another to do the duties of a priest. There were very, very few Orthodox priests in this country. Besides, Father Husson once a year would travel—he would wire ahead—and he would go to these different towns. Father Husson baptized my sister Mabel, and she was born in Cedar Rapids. He would go out to these places by train. People would give him a few dollars for all he did and then he would be on his way more informed as to the eligibility of those for marriage. George B. recalled: [18.119...

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