A Bride's Suitcase

Sara Mel's New Year's at the Equator

The bus stop which once stood here in the period between the two world wars was where people arrived to and departed from Šeduva. Those leaving the town sometimes left it forever, which is precisely what Šeduva resident Sara Mel did.

Sara grew up in a loving family and had many friends. Apparently, she didn’t experience any great difficulties in her youth. She was the youngest daughter in the affluent family of a Šeduva merchant. She liked to wear fancy jewelry and dress fashionably. She could afford to.

Near the end of 1928, Sara travelled to the unfamiliar country of South Africa. She planned to marry a young man from Šeduva waiting for her there, Joe Flecher, her best friend's brother. Since she was arriving as a bride, she had to take her dowry with her. This included kitchen items such as pots, pans, bowls, ritual vessels, and religious cups – and also a rather large samovar, because how could anyone go without tea? The dowry included important items needed for setting up a new family as well as other personal trifles. The ship's passage took two weeks and Sara intended to celebrate the New Year around mid-journey, so her luggage included high-heeled shoes, a sequin dress, feathers, and a pearl necklace.

Sara's daughters and their families now preserve the dowry she brought with her. So, what became of the absolutely essential samovar? Having travelled around the world it has returned to where it started, to Šeduva, to the collection of the Lost Shtetl Museum.

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