The Parsees of India 



543 



sees claim that there is no reason for it, 

 and none seems to be found. It is a 

 striking example of a custom being con- 

 tinued after the reason has ceased to 

 exist or at least has been forgotten. 



Another odd custom in vogue among 

 the Parsees is that the name of the father 

 is given to the son as a surname. For 

 instance, if a Parsee of the name of 

 ' ' Framjee Dossabhoy ! ' had a son whose 

 name was Maneckjee, his full name 

 would be ' ' Maneckjee Framjee." When 

 again his son had a son whose name was 

 Jebanjir, his full name would be " Je- 

 hanjir Maneckjee. ' ' The grandfather's 

 name is dropped entirely within three 

 generations. 



Sometimes the name of a distinguished 

 ancestor is added after the father's name, 

 hut this is not even continued for more 

 than a few generations. This practice 

 lias a tendency to destroy the family 

 unit and lessen its influence and mag- 

 nify the caste or tribe. 



While the general voice of the Parsee 

 community seems to be unfavorable to 

 the admission of aliens to the Zoroas- 

 trian faith, and the trustees of the prin- 

 cipal Fire Temple in Bombay have pro- 

 hibited such persons from entering its 

 •sacred precincts, nevertheless prose- 

 lytism to the religion does occasionally 

 occur. Parsee priests are to be found 

 whose objections can be overcome and 

 who will permit the sacred precincts of 

 the Fire Temple, over which they pre- 

 side, to be invaded by alien converts to 

 the Parsee faith. 



MARRIAGE CEREMONIES 



The Parsees, owing to their coming 

 in contact with the Hindoos, adopted a 

 number of their customs, among which 

 was unfortunately included the practice 

 of infant marriage. Hindoos are most 

 strictly enjoined by their " Shastras " 

 to have their girls married before they 

 have reached the age of nine years. 

 Great disgrace is attached to the parents 

 on their failure to do so. The Parsees 



seemed to have participated in this idea, 

 and consequently practiced, until within 

 recent years, infant marriage of their 

 daughters. This custom is now no 

 longer followed by the Parsees in Bom- 

 bay, but instances of the kind, we are 

 informed, may still occur in some out- 

 of-the-way place in Guzerat, where the 



A Parsee School Girl in Regulation 

 Dress 



light of a higher civilization has not yet 

 dawned. The most sensible persons 

 among them have always disapproved 

 of the absurd custom, and it may be 

 stated that the practice of infant mar- 

 riage among the Parsees is now a custom 

 of the past. 



Marriages are generally arranged by 

 the parents of the contracting parties. 



