208 HISTORY AND ETHNOLOGY. 



pari am. In such a case, however, the receiver must take upon himself 

 all the sins of the liberal benefactor, and hence marriages of this sort are 

 rare. The settling of a marriage contract is preceded by many form-alities, 

 mostly superstitious, at which astrologers and soothsayers play no unim- 

 portant part. On the wedding day, the invited relatives and friends 

 assemble at the house of the bridegroom, and thence go to the dwelling 

 of the bride. In front go the porters, carrying the nuptial presents intended 

 for the bride. In one of the baskets is found the pariekure, or sash, which, 

 even amongst the poorest people, must be of silk, and is designed only for 

 the adornment of the bride on the marriage day. In place of the pariam, 

 men of rank give a costly jewel, or a rich ornament, which is laid upon the 

 pariekure. As soon as the party have arrived at the house, the basket 

 with the last named article is uncovered in the presence of the whole 

 assemblage ; the pariam is then presented by the father of the bridegroom 

 to the father of the bride, with the words, " The money is thine, and the 

 daughter is mine;" whereupon the latter answer, "The money is mine, 

 and the daughter is thine." Hereupon the Brahmin, amid kind congratu- 

 lations, ratifies the completed union. In the place of our wedding-ring, the 

 tali, a small gold figure, often a tiger's tooth set in gold, is the nuptial 

 symbol. This is consecrated at the marriage by the Brahmin, and handed 

 to the bridegroom, who hangs it around the neck of the bride. Rich and 

 distinguished persons have sometimes a number of additional ceremonies 

 at their weddings ; and not unfrequently the newly married couple, seated 

 opposite to each other in a palanquin, are borne for several days through 

 the principal streets, escorted by their relatives, friends, and servants, and 

 surrounded by numbers of musicians and dancing women. The expense 

 of the wedding and subsequent ceremonies falls upon the groom's father 

 alone ; and including presents to the Brahmins, who come to the weddings 

 of the wealthy from the vicinity, and even distances of thirty or forty miles, 

 amounts to a very large sum. PL 21, Jig. 4, represents a procession of an 

 East Indian bridal party ; Jig. 3, exhibits the wedding ceremonies of the 

 Zingaroos, an Indian gipsy stock. The Zigeune (or Gipsy) takes his bride 

 by one hand, and in the other holds a jug, which he throws high in the air, 

 by way of determining the duration of his marriage, which is done by 

 counting the pieces into which the jug is broken when falling, the marriage 

 being valid for as many years as there are pieces. In case the bride does 

 not please him, however, the Zigeune, if so inclined, dissolves the connexion 

 even at an earlier period than the time indicated by the above ceremony ; 

 neither is his young wife bound to observe strict fidelity. 



The religious festivals of the Hindoos are very numerous; about a 

 hundred of them are reckoned, and nearly every god has his own. On 

 such holidays, the pagodas (temples) are ornamented with garlands, muslin 

 handkerchiefs, and costly stuffs. One of the most important festivals is 

 the tirunal, or car festival (pi. 20, Jig. 6), which is annually celebrated 

 during a period of ten days, in remembrance of the consecration of each 

 *i..great pagoda. Pilgrims approach from the neighborhood and from a 

 distance, according as the pagoda is more or less renowned. Large bands 

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