546 The National Geographic Magazine 



on these occasions to make exchange of 

 presents between the kinsmen of the 

 bride and groom. The bride is also pre- 

 sented with valuable ornaments by the 

 proposed father-in-law. Many thou- 

 sands of rupees are spent upon these 

 antenuptial festivities. 



On the wedding day a large number of 

 friends are invited by the contracting 

 parties to witness the nuptial ceremony. 

 Following the custom of the Hindoos, 

 the wedding always takes place after 

 the sun has set, in accordance with the 

 promise given to the Rajah of Sanjan by 

 the Parsees on their first landing in In- 

 dia. The wedding guests, when assem- 

 bled, to the number frequently of one 

 thousand and more — the men in full 

 Parsee costume of snow white, the ladies 

 arrayed in rich jewelry and dresses of 

 variegated colors, splendidly ornamented 

 with gold and embroidery, the evening 

 enlivened by the music of a band — 

 form a beautiful scene, rarely witnessed 

 in any other part of the globe. 



Bouquets of flowers, upon which rose- 

 water is sprayed from a golden jar, in 

 order to give them a perfume, are passed 

 among the guests. Packets of ' ' pan- 

 supari," made of the nut of the arica 

 palm, upon which a portion of chunam 

 or lime is smeared, wrapped in the leaf 

 of the beetle vine and pinned together 

 with a clove, are distributed to the 

 guests. 



The procession of the bridegroom was 

 formerly attended with great splendor 

 and state, as is still the practice of the 

 Hindoos. Gaily comparisoned horses, 

 chariots, and sometimes elephants are 

 used to convey the bridegroom to the 

 home of the bride. On reaching the 

 home of the bride, the bride and groom 

 are seated opposite each other in chairs, 

 placed on a carpet or large rug, and the 

 guests and relatives are seated in circles 

 about them. 



For the following details the writer has 

 abbreviated from a description of a mar- 

 riage ceremony furnished him by his 



good friend, the late Dossabhai Framjee 

 Karaka : 



A piece of cloth is held between the 

 bride and groom, as a curtain, so as to 

 screen them from each other's sight. 

 Under this curtain they are made to hold 

 each other's right hand in their grasp. 

 Then another piece of cloth is placed 

 around so as to encircle them, and the 

 ends of the cloth are tied together in a 

 double knot. In the same way raw 

 twist is taken and wound round the pair 

 seven times by the officiating priests, 

 who during the performance repeat the 

 short prayers of Yatha Ahu Vairyo. 



On completing the seventh round the 

 twist is tied seven times over the joined 

 hands of the couple, as well as round 

 the double knot of the ends of the cloth 

 previously put about them. When this 

 is over incense is burnt on a fire placed 

 in a flat metallic vase, after which the 

 curtain is suddenly dropped down and 

 the bride and bridegroom, who have 

 each beeu provided with a few grains 

 of rice, hasten to throw them at one 

 another. This is followed by a clapping 

 of hands from the ladies seated around 

 the bridal pair, and the applause is taken 

 up by the gentlemen outside. 



After throwing the rice the couple sit 

 side by side, when the recital of " ashir- 

 wad," or blessings, by two " dasturs," 

 or chief priests, follows ; one of these 

 stands before the bride and the other 

 before the bridegroom. 



The holding of the curtain between 

 the bride and the bridegroom and its 

 subsequent removal are meant to show 

 that up to the time of the ceremony they 

 were separated from each other, but 

 that they are so no longer. Their being 

 made to sit opposite to one another at 

 first and side by side a little later on 

 also expresses the same notion. The 

 grasping of their right hands by each 

 other and their being tied by a string 

 signify that they are thenceforth united. 

 The putting round of the string and the 

 cloth, so as to encircle them with a double 



