285 



History of the Ramoossies. 



[Oct. 



piece of paper the names of the party, and the hour, the day, and 

 month are inserted on which the ceremony is to take place. The 

 Brahmun, having put some Koonkoo on the paper, gives it to 

 the fatlier of the girl, who hands it over to the father of the boy. 

 The Brahmun is now requested to inform them of the proper time 

 for applving or rather besmearing^ the boy and girl with Turmeric, 

 upon which the Brahmun tells them the day they are to apply the 

 Hullud, (Turmeric.) The parties then ask the Brahmun to tell 

 them who is to apply it. It is considered necessary to have a near 

 female relative to begin this ceremony, after which, the others join 

 in it. The priest is presented with four or five pyce and the parties 

 return to their homes. 



On the day fixed for going through the ceremony of besmearing 

 the boy and girl with the Hullud, the parents give the necessary 

 directions. Several female relations having assembled, a small 

 quantity of the powder of Turmeric is put into a flat dish and dilut- 

 ed with water. The boy is stripped naked and the mixture applied 

 to the whole of his body, in the first instance by the female relations 

 pointed out by the Jossy, the other women in attendance subse- 

 quently assisting her in the operation. When he has been well be- 

 daubed with the mixture, they set to work to wash it off again. 

 Notwithstanding the subsequent ablution, the body retains a yellow- 

 ish colour, which stains the boy's wearing apparel. During this 

 ceremony, a band of native musicians keep playing in front of the 

 entrance of the house. The Hullud remaining in the dish after the 

 boy has been besmeared is sent to the house of the father of the 

 girl, while music plays in front of the small procession that accom- 

 panies it. Should the distance be eight or ten miles, a man is sent 

 with it, but should it be from thirty to fifty miles, the boy's father 

 purchases a small quantity of Turmeric which he gives to the girl's 

 father, at the times,when the Jossy announces to them the day on 

 which the cereu)ony should take place. 



On the same day that the Hullud takes place, a piece of 

 cloth is died yellow with Turmeric likewise a small quantity of 

 Jowary* or Jondly. A hull koond, or entire root' of Turmeric, 

 which has a knot, or branch, termed lekurwalla, (that with the 

 ^ offspring) is specially selected on this occasion. Both these articles 

 are tied up in the piece of cloth, which is then fastened round the 

 neck of the stone handmill used for grinding corn. Five married 

 women are now employed to prepare the ghanna, which is about 

 • Helens Saccharatug. 



