14 Social Customs of the Karens. [No. 1, 



Betrothal. 

 The Karens go on the principle that marriages are made in heaven. 

 They believe that parties who many do so in accordance with an engage- 

 ment into which their sentient spirits entered in the presence of Grod, 

 before they were born. 



It is a very common practice among all the tribes, except the Red 

 Karens, for parents to betroth their children while young, if not in in- 

 fancy. They have an idea that children are benefitted by it. If a 

 child is sickly, the parents say, " We had better seek a wife for this 

 boy. A wife may invigorate him and make him stronger." 



Some one then who has a daughter is selected, and if the parents 

 are agreed, and the fowl bones give a favorable response, a feast is 

 made, and the children are betrothed. The feast is provided by the 

 parents of the boy, and one of the Elders offers the prayer of betrothal, 

 saying : " Lord of the land and water, Mokhie of the land and water ; 

 these two are engaged to be united in marriage. May they have long 

 life, may they produce seed, may their shoots sprout forth, may they 

 grow old together ! 



After a boy and girl have been betrothed, should they, on coming to 

 marriageable age, be unconquerably averse to the union, the parents 

 say : " Ah ! their spirits did not consent, their guardian angels did not 

 make the agreement." 

 The young people sing : 



" Grod and the spirit ; 



Without their consent, 

 No marriage is made. 

 God and the spirit, 



And with their consent 

 No marriage is staid." 

 Should there be a mutual desire to sever the engagement, the pa- 

 rents of the youth go to the friends of the girl ; and after the introduc- 

 tory remark that the union does not appear to have been agreed to in 

 heaven, they say : " They were not planted together, they were not 

 sown together, and they do not love each other. Water spilt, leaves 

 the vessel empty ; flour thrown out, leaves the basket empty, There 

 must be the loss of half, and the paying of half." Then the parents 

 of the girl pay half the expenses of the feast at the betrothal. 



