FALM^. 513 



Among the Hindus tlio most important function of this nut ia 

 at marriages, when it is the custom to place the tali of the bride, 

 which the parents must see and touch in token of their appro- 

 bation of the marriage, in the half of a broken cocoanut- Here 

 the tali and nut represent le Jen des epoiix. Be Gubernatis 

 relates that the continuance of this practice among their con- 



nussionaries 



m 



of the Cardinal de Tournon to the following effect: — 'Tructus 

 etiam vulgo dictus CocOj ex cujus fractione prosperitatis vel 

 infortunii auspicia gentiles temere ducunt^ vel omnino a Chris- 

 tianorum nuptiis regiciatur, vel saltern, si ilium comedere velint 

 non publico sed secreto et extra solemnitatem apariatur ab iis 

 qui, evangelica luce edocti, ab hujusmodi auspiciorum delira- 

 mento sunt alieni/' In the coast districts, cocoanuts and sugar- 

 cakes [ndral^ baiasa) are lavishly distributed to the guests on 

 important festive occasions^ such as marriage, the phool cere- 

 mony on the event of the first menstruation and first pregnancy, 

 and the thread ceremony ; in other parts of India their place 

 IS supplied by betel-nuts. In Europe nuts appear to have been 

 always regarded as auspicious and symbolical of fertility ; the 

 B-omans scattered nuts at weddings ; Virgil says, *' Sparge, 

 murite, nuces," and De Gubernatis states that this custom still 

 exists in several parts of Southern Europe ; in Piedmont there 

 is a proverb : Pan e nus vita da sjms. 



The economic uses to which the cocoanut tree and its products 

 are put in the East, are' so numerous^ and have so often 

 teen described, that we will not attempt to recapitulate them, 

 l>ut refer the reader to the Dictionary of the Economic Products 

 of India (ii., 415). At the Colonial and Indian Exhibition, 

 Mr. M. 0. Pereira, Head Assistant to the Government Medical 

 Storekeeper, Bombay, exhibited a collection of eighty-three 

 articles prepared from the tree, and we arc informed that he 

 has since added considerably to his collection. 



Sanskrit medical writers describe the tree under the name 

 w Narikelu or Narikera, and give it many synonyms, such as 

 Tuugu '4ofty/^ Trina-raja ^' king of grasses," Skandha-taru 



