36 JOURNAL, R. A. S, (CEYLON). [Vol. VII., Pt. I. 



is taken out and presented by the chief elder of the village as 

 a common offering to the priesthood. The chief of the assem- 

 bled priests thereupon puts the question, " Who here requires 

 a robe ?" to which all but the Was priest reply, " We have robes 

 already." Then another priest says : "They have kept the 

 Was priest so long here; let us give it to him." This is agreed 

 to, and two other priests at once rise and chant the refrain : — 

 " A robe has been presented to the priesthood, and we have 

 agreed to present it to [naming the Was priest.]" One of them 

 accordingly takes the robe, hands it round to each priest in 

 turn, so that all may touch it, and then gives it to the Was, 

 priest. He puts it on, wet as it is, over his shoulder, makes 

 a mark in a corner, repeats a stanza of Bana (the sacred 

 scriptures), presses it over his other robes, and then hangs it 

 up to dry in view of all. He is obliged to carry this robe, 

 either on his body or in a bundle, for three months before it 

 can be washed; and he always looks upon it with a certain 

 degree of pride. A second robe is, however, usually presented 

 afterwards to him; the first being considered as an offering to 

 the priesthood in general, the second as a present to the 

 individual priest. 



4.— Next in order is the Keti Mangalyaya : so called because 

 on this day the full moon and the Keti Nekata (the lucky 

 hour) come together. It takes place on the full-moon day 

 immediately after the termination of the previous — i.e., the Was 

 festival. On this day all the temples are brilliantly illumi- 

 minated. This is done by means of small oil lamps, placed 

 close together all round the buildings. During the night a 

 procession of elephants, flags, tom-toms, etc., and a large 

 number of torches, is kept up for many hours ; the effect in 

 Kandy, in conjunction with the illuminated temples, being very 

 striking. It is customary also at this festival to make offerings 

 of fans, robes, begging bowls, cloths, etc., to the recent Was 

 priests. 



