Girls are generally married between seven and twelve and boys
between ten and twenty, but no stigma attaches to a family allowing
an unmarried girl to exceed the age of puberty. The bridegroom should
always be older than the bride. Matches are arranged by the parents,
the horoscopes of the children being compared among the well-to-do. The
zodiacal sign of the boy's horoscope should be stronger than that of
the girl's, so that she may be submissive to him in after-life. Thus
a girl whose zodiac sign is the lion should not be married to a boy
whose sign is the ram, because in that case the wife would dominate
the husband. There is no special rule as to the time of the betrothal,
and the ceremony is very simple, consisting in the presentation of a
cocoanut by the bride's father to the bridegroom's father, and the
distribution of sweets to the caste-fellows. The betrothal is not
considered to have any particularly binding force and either party may
break through it. Among the Dangis a bridegroom-price is usually paid,
which varies according to the social respectability of the boy's sept,
as much as Rs. 2000 having been given for a bridegroom of higher
class according to the rule of hypergamy already described. But no
value is placed on educational qualifications, as is the case among
Brahmans and Kayasths. The marriage ceremony is conducted according
to the ritual prevalent in the northern Districts, and presents no
special features. Two feasts are given by the bride's father to the
caste-fellows, one consisting of _katchi_ food or that which is cooked
with water, and another of _pakki_ food cooked with _ghi_ (butter). If
the bride is of marriageable age the _gauna_ or sending away ceremony
is performed at once, otherwise it takes place in the third or fifth
year after marriage. At the _gauna_ ceremony the bride's cloth is tied
to that of the bridegroom, and they change seats. Widow-marriage is not
fashionable, and the caste say that it is not permitted, but several
instances are known of its having occurred. Divorce is not allowed,
and a woman who goes wrong is finally expelled from the caste. Polygamy
is allowed, and many well-to-do persons have more than one wife.