Dr. Scudders Tales for Little Readers | Page 8

lasts five days. The bride and bridegroom are
first placed under a puntel, a kind of bower, covered with leaves, in
front of the house. This is superbly adorned. The married women then
come forward, and perform the ceremony called _arati_, which is as
follows. Upon a plate of copper, they place a lamp made of a paste
from rice flour. It is supplied with oil, and lighted. They then take hold
of the plate with both hands, and raise it as high as the heads of the
couple to be married, and describe a number of circles with the plate
and lamp. This is to prevent the evil of any jealous looks, which certain
persons might make. The Hindoos believe that great evils arise from
wicked looks. They consider that even the gods themselves are not out
of the reach of malicious eyes; and therefore after they have been
carried through the streets, the ceremony of arati is always performed,
to efface the evil which they may have suffered from these looks.
It ought to have been mentioned, that before any thing is done, they
place an image of Pullian under the puntel. This god is much honored
because he is much feared. And although the great ugliness of his
appearance has hitherto kept him without a wife, they never fail to pay
him the greatest attention, lest he should in some way or other injure

them.
After arati and many other ceremonies are performed, the kankanan,
which is merely a bit of saffron, is tied to the right wrist of the young
man, and to the left wrist of the girl. This is done with great solemnity.
Another remarkable ceremony succeeds this. The young man being
seated with his face towards the east, his future father-in-law supposes
that he beholds in him the great Vrishnoo. With this impression, he
offers him a sacrifice, and then, making him put both of his feet in a
new dish filled with cow-dung, he first washes them with water, then
with milk, and again with water, accompanying the whole with suitable
muntrums or prayers.
After many other ceremonies, he takes the hand of his daughter and
puts it into that of his son-in-law. He then pours water over them in
honor of Vrishnoo. This is the most solemn of all the ceremonies, being
the token of his resigning his daughter to the authority of the young
man. She must be accompanied with three gifts, namely, one or more
cows, some property in land, and a _salagrama_, which consists of
some little amulet stones in high esteem among the Brahmins. This
ceremony being finished, the tahly is brought to be fastened to the neck
of the bride. This, as I before said, is presented on a salver, decked and
garnished with sweet-smelling flowers. Incense is offered to it, and it is
presented to the assistants each of whom touches it and invokes
blessings upon it. The bride then turning towards the East, the
bridegroom takes the tahly, repeats a muntrum or prayer aloud, and ties
it around her neck.
Fire is then brought in, upon which the bridegroom offers up the
sacrifice of _homam_, which consists of throwing boiled rice with
melted butter upon the fire. He then takes his bride by the hand, and
they walk three times around it, while the incense is blazing.
There is another ceremony, which, perhaps, ought to be mentioned, as
it is considered by some to be one of much importance. Two baskets of
bamboo are placed close together, one for the bride, the other for the
bridegroom. They step into them, and two other baskets being brought,
filled with ground rice, the husband takes up one with both hands and
pours the contents over the head of the bride. She does the same to him.
In the marriage of great princes pearls are sometimes used instead of
rice.

On the evening of the third day, when the constellations appear, the
astrologer points out to the married pair a very small star, close to the
middle or in the tail of _Ursa Major_, which he directs them to worship,
and which he says is the wife of Vasestha.
While the assembled guests, are dining, the bridegroom and the bride
also partake, and eat together from the same plate. This is a token of the
closest union. This is the only instance in which they ever eat together.
After all the ceremonies are finished, a procession is made through the
streets of the village It commonly takes place in the night, by torchlight,
accompanied with fire-works. The newly married pair are seated in one
palanquin with their faces towards each other, both richly dressed. The
bride, in particular, is generally covered with jewels and precious
stones.
The procession moves