Chap. XV. 
the Eaft-India Pagans. 
pray for the long Life of their Husbands, 
and to obtain Riches. They have alfo 
two other Feafts in July and November. 
They obferve befides this certain days, 
as Sacred and Fortunate, as the Firfl day 
of every Month, the day of the Solftice, 
when the Sun turns from the North to 
the South. 
They pay every Morning their Re- 
verence to the Sun, and having walh'd 
themfelves three times, they threw the 
Water with their Hands upwards, to 
prevent (as they fay) the evil Spirits 
from keeping the Sun betwixt the Moun- 
tains. The New Year they begin with 
the New Moon in >4|?n7, as the modern 
Jews in the Month Abib. They call the 
New Years Feaft Samwatfaradi Panduga^ 
Panduga fignifying as much as a Feafl:,and 
Samxvdtfaram a Year, as Adi is the firft 
day of the Month i for they have twelve 
Months in the Year, viz.. April call'd 
Thejlrantj May Weivoiacam^ June Jef- 
tatn, July Ajadam^ Augufl: S^awamntj 
September Badrapadam^ Oi^ober Jfwy- 
am^ November Carticam, December 
Margifaram^ January Ponjam, February 
Magamt March Paelgouwan. And be- 
caufethefe 1 2 Months are not equivalent 
to the Months of the Sun, they have t.^^ - 
very third Year a Leap-year, confifting ^^Ida^^. 
of 13 Months, which we have only once 
every four Years. 
Befides the Names of every Month, 
and of every day in the Week, the Ma- 
labars have a peculiar Name for each day 
in every Month. They have alfo peculi- 
ar Names for each Year, as far as fixty 
Years, unto which they add the Word 
Samwatfaram, fignifying a Year, which 
however is often left out for Brevities 
fake ^ then they fay Prabarva the Firfiy 
P'mawa the Second^ &c. Tfaja the fixti- 
ech, meaning the Samwatfaram or Year. 
They compute by 60 years, juli as the 
Greeks do by their Olympiads ; they alfo 
name the Days of every Week (like the 
antient Pagans) after the Planets-, thus 
Suria fignifies to them the Sun, and Jen- 
dra the Moorij whence they call Suria 
Warcm the Sunday^ and the Monday Jcn- 
dra War am. 
They divide each day inro 30 Hours, 
juft as the (jcwf/wi divide their Day and 
Night into 60 Hours, fome whereof they 
account fortunate, and fome unfortunate. 
Of the Pagan Feafts you may confult Ca- 
rolinus, chap. 22. 
CHAP. XV, 
Of the Fajldays of the. Pagans, afjd their Origin. Their Marriages and fokmn 
Oaths \ Ceremonies ufed with their Sick and Dead. 
AS the Pagans pray conftantly thrice 
a day, viz.. in the Morning, about 
Noon (when they repofe themfelves) 
and in the Evening, fo they have their 
folemn Faftdays j one of thefe is call'd 
Egadexi, which Word (in their Learned 
Language, call'd Samofcrad, or Hanfcret^ 
as Kircher ^iks it, which is in the fame ef- 
teem among the Malabars^ as the Latin 
in Europe') fignifies as much as eleven^ or 
the eleventh, becaufe it is kept the ele- 
venth day after the full Moon, and again 
the eleventh day after the new Moon j 
fo that they have two of thefe Fafts eve- 
ry Month, viz. one every 1 5 days, when 
they abftain from eating all the day long, 
oratleaft till four or five a Clock in the 
Afternoon, when they muft not feed up- 
on Flefii, or Fifh, or Rice, but only up- 
on Fruits, Peafe, Beans, Milk, and fuch 
like, and not drink the leaft ftrong Li- 
quor. 
The Origin of this Faft-day is ridi- 
culojis enough. They tell you, Shat a 
^. VoL iU. 
young Fellow much addided to V^enery, ori--nQf 
going one night very late to vific his' the%ji 
Miftrcfs, could not light on a Boat to Fuftday of 
ferry him over the River i however, be- ^''■""/'^ 
ing refolv'd not to depart, he ftaid there 
all night, and did fail aQeep, without 
having eaten any thing all that day: 
Next morning early paffing the River, as 
he was going to his Miftrefs's Houfe, he 
met with a Camel juft at Sun-riung, ac 
which throwing a Stone it hie acciden- 
tally upon fome Flowers, and caft therai 
from the Stalks upon the ground, and fo 
he came to his Miftrefs. 
After fome years happening to die, 
and being carried before Chitraputrcn, he 
could not produce any good Works bs 
had perform'd in his Life-time to intitle 
himfelf to the Paradife, except this his 
accidental fafting, and the throwing down 
of the Flowers at Sun-rifing, which 
he interpreted as a Sacrifice intended for 
the Sun. Chitraputren after a long hear- 
ing condemned him to the infernal Re- 
Z 2 z Z z gions f 
