FASCICULI MALATENSES 
69 
Jchal by name, wrestled, and his wrestling was finer than that of the men of 
Patani, and he overcame many, and all the people praised him. There were 
present about five thousand persons, both men and women, from the seaside, 
and from the country, and from the town. But the plays ceased at six of the 
evening. 
1 Then, at eight of the evening, the sons of rajas who would enter the 
vernacular came together in the compound of Raja Mudah Phra Si, 1 * and on 
that night all the players were assembled there also, and they all played at 
one time. Then the Raja of Patani and the Raja of Jambu gave gifts to the 
youths and bade them wear the ceremonial caps that bad been the emblems 
of rank of their fathers before them, and after this they all marched in pro¬ 
cession round the hall. Twenty virgins, carrying nothing, went first, dressed 
in Malay attire of the ceremonial kind, and twenty-six women followed, 
carrying betel-cases, then sixteen married women bore candles, and two bore 
spittoons, and two bore the krises of the Rajas. Next came eight men, carrying 
Japanese lanterns slung two and two on poles, and the four sons of rajas 
followed who would enter the vernacular. Four datob walked on either side 
of them, and men held over their heads the umbrellas to which their rank 
entitled them, and while they marched Arabian fiddles were played and two 
men sang Malay songs after the Patani fashion and three men chanted in the 
vernacular. At midnight they stayed/ 
Similar ceremonies went on for some days, and then the youths were 
carried on the bird to to a sacred well* (situated midway between Patani and 
Jambu), in which they bathed. On another day they were borne up to the 
gateway of the Raja Mudah of Patan/s compound, where men awaited them 
with drawn swords ; the bearers of the bird were obliged to retire three times, 
and the 4 sons of rajas ' were forced to exhibit their ceremonial caps, thus 
establishing their rank, before they were permitted to enter. (This custom, 
evidently a ceremonial representation of a fight or struggle, has very probably 
been transferred from the marriage ceremony). At last the boys were seated 
on the platform on which the operation was to be performed, and, after they 
had been clothed in yellow, the people were permitted to throw water over 
them, ‘ until they sat shivering like men affected by ague/ 
One of the * sons of rajas was to have been married as soon he had 
recovered from the operation, but political events occurred which made it 
necessary to defer his wedding. 
well. 
i. The Malay rajas of the Patani States are generally known by their Siamese titles, 
z. The wives and concubines of the raja who had been accused of adultery were formerly drowned in this 
