SCENE III DEDUCTIO—PROCESSION TO THE GROOM’S HOUSE

The bride is taken, to all appearances, by force from her mother’s embrace,—a survival of the marriage by capture, or, as the Romans themselves put it, a reminiscence of the Sabine marriage. The mustaceum, or wedding cake, is eaten, and the procession begins, all singing the wedding hymn. The groom throws nuts to the boys in the street as a sign that he will now put away childish things. Arriving at the groom’s house, the bride anoints the doorposts with oil to signify health and plenty, and then offers a prayer for future happiness.