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JOURNAL, B.A.S. (CEYLON). [Vol. VIII. 



leeward, but not to windward.* Accordingly, a man will 

 not thresh on the same day as his neighbour, if the latter's 

 threshing-floor is to the south-west of bis.f He is angry 

 if his neighbour, with a threshing-floor thus favourably 

 situated with respect to his, begins to thresh his paddy at 

 the same time as he does. The neighbour, on the other 

 hand, congratulates himself on the prospective assistance of 

 the kulis, who will pilfer the paddy from the other man, 

 and bring it to his threshing-floor ; and seizes the oppor- 

 tunity to propitiate them, and so begin his threshing under 

 the most favourable conditions. 



If a high festival is going on in the village temple, no 

 threshing is allowed to be carried on on that day in the village. 



No empty vessel or basket can be carried past the 

 threshing-floor while the threshing is going on, and there 

 are instances of wayfarers being detained at the floor, if 

 they happen to pass it at such a time. The upsetting of a 

 basket or vessel, or the overturning of a hut (kudil)% or 

 anything that happens inadvertently, is considered an 

 unlucky omen. Every turn taken by the men engaged in 

 any of these ceremonies should be to the right, not to the 

 left, § and even the oxen are made to conform to this 



* This is shrewd of the Mlis, — they do not like to have the wind 

 against them. 



•j- At the time of harvest in the Jaffna District (February — March) 

 the North-East monsoon is blowing, hence the South- West would be 

 the leeward. 



I A hut is like an exaggerated umbrella made of palmyra leaves, 

 used for sheltering cattle, stacks, &c. 



§ In "A Lady's Cruise in a French Man-of-War," Miss Gordon- 

 Cumming, describing the consecration of a Roman Catholic church in 

 Samoa, says : " I grieve to have to record that, in leading the procession 

 round the foundations of the new church, he (the Bishop) made the turn 

 widdershins. I believe that this is contrary to ecclesiastical custom, and, 

 of course, to my Scottish mind it suggested grievous misfortunes in store." 

 — Vol. I., p. 120. To the word widdershins the authoress appends the 

 following note : " Or more correctly, in old Celtic parlance, tuophol — 

 that is to say, a turn contrary to the course of the sun, keeping the 

 left hand towards the centre. It was only used when invoking a curse, 

 as opposed to the turn deisul, which invoked a blessing on the object 

 round which the turn was made. The superstition is common to all 

 lands in whose early mythology sun-worship held a place." (See "From 

 the Hebrides to the Himalayas," Vol. I., p. 203.) 



