10 Social Customs of the Karens. [No. 1 
The Elder now changes his motion and fans up the child’s arm ; 
saying : 
“ Fan on power, fan on influence : 
Fan on the paddy bin, fan on the paddy barn : 
Fan on followers, fan on dependants : 
Fan on good things, fan on appropriate things.” 
He next takes a bit of thread that has been prepared for the pur- 
pose, and tying it round the child’s wrist, says: ‘“ I name thee A. B.;” 
using the name that the parents had previously determined upon. 
Sometimes a name is selected from among their ancestors, or other 
relatives ; but in such cases they are always careful to select one whose 
bearer was rich, or valiant, and prosperous; ever avoiding the poor 
and unfortunate, as they suppose the name influences the character of 
the man. 
Often a name is selected indicative of the state of the parent’s mind 
at the time the child is born, A man rejoices at the birth of a son, 
and he names it “ Joy.” A mother is suffering, and she calls her 
daughter, ‘“ grief.”’ Another has a son born when he is hoping for de- 
liverance from Burmese oppression, and the advent of White Foreign- 
ers, so he names him “ Hope.” 
Frequently a child is named from some circumstance connected with 
its birth. One is called: ‘‘ Father-returned,” because the father re- 
turned from a journey just as the child was born; and another is nam- 
ed ‘‘ Harvest,” because born at harvest time. For like reasons we 
have, ‘‘ New-house,” “‘ Sun-rise,”’ ‘“‘ Evening,” “ Moon-rising,” “ Full- 
moon,” and “ February.” 
Sometimes the child is named from its appearance, and hence we 
meet with the names ‘“‘ White,” ‘‘ Black,” and “ Yellow.’’ ‘‘ White’ 
is about as common a name in Karen, as Smith or Jones in English. 
The animal, vegetable and mineral kingdoms all occasionally furnish 
names. There are “ Tiger,” ‘“Yellow-tiger,” “ Fierce-tiger,” “ Gaur,” 
and “ Goat-antelope ;” “ Hornbill,” “ Heron,” ‘ Prince-bird,” and 
““ Mango-fish ;” “ Hugenia,” “‘ Job’s-tears,” “ Cotton,” “ Gold,” “ Sil- 
” with many others of a like character. 
When the child grows up, and developes any particular trait of 
character, the friends give it another name, with “ father” or “‘ mother’’ 
attached to it. Thus, a boy is very quick to work, and he is named 
ver, aud ~~ Qin’; 
