MARRIAGE AMONG THE HINDOOS.
My dear Children--Marriage, to the Hindoos is the greatest event of
their lives. In the celebration of it, many ceremonies are performed Of
these I will mention some of the most important. If the father of the
young girl is a Brahmin, and if he is rich and liberal, he will
frequently bear all the expenses of the marriage of his daughter. To
give a daughter in marriage and to sell her, are about the same thing.
Almost every parent makes his daughter an article of traffic, refusing
to give her up until the sum of money for which he consented to let her
go, is paid. Men of distinction generally lay out this money for jewels,
which they present to their daughters on their wedding-day. You will
infer from what I have just said, that the parties to be married have
nothing to do in the choice of each other.
There are properly but four months in the year in which marriages can
take place, namely March, April, May, and June. This probably arises
from the circumstance that these are the hottest seasons of the
year--the seasons when the people have more leisure to attend to them.
From the harvest, also, which has just been gathered in, they are
provided with means to perform the various ceremonies.
The marriage ceremony lasts five days. The bride and bridegroom are
first placed under a puntel, a kind of bower, covered with leaves, in
front of the house. This is superbly adorned. The married women then
come forward, and perform the ceremony called _arati_, which is as
follows. Upon a plate of copper, they place a lamp made of a paste from
rice flour. It is supplied with oil, and lighted. They then take hold of
the plate with both hands, and raise it as high as the heads of the
couple to be married, and describe a number of circles with the plate
and lamp. This is to prevent the evil of any jealous looks, which
certain persons might make. The Hindoos believe that great evils arise
from wicked looks. They consider that even the gods themselves are not
out of the reach of malicious eyes; and therefore after they have been
carried through the streets, the ceremony of arati is always performed,
to efface the evil which they may have suffered from these looks.
It ought to have been mentioned, that before any thing is done, they
place an image of Pullian under the puntel. This god is much honored
because he is much feared. And although the great ugliness of his
appearance has hitherto kept him without a wife, they never fail to pay
him the greatest attention, lest he should in some way or other injure
them.
After arati and many other ceremonies are performed, the kankanan, which
is merely a bit of saffron, is tied to the right wrist of the young
man, and to the left wrist of the girl. This is done with great
solemnity. Another remarkable ceremony succeeds this. The young man
being seated with his face towards the east, his future father-in-law
supposes that he beholds in him the great Vrishnoo. With this
impression, he offers him a sacrifice, and then, making him put both of
his feet in a new dish filled with cow-dung, he first washes them with
water, then with milk, and again with water, accompanying the whole with
suitable muntrums or prayers.
After many other ceremonies, he takes the hand of his daughter and puts
it into that of his son-in-law. He then pours water over them in honor
of Vrishnoo. This is the most solemn of all the ceremonies, being the
token of his resigning his daughter to the authority of the young man.
She must be accompanied with three gifts, namely, one or more cows, some
property in land, and a _salagrama_, which consists of some little
amulet stones in high esteem among the Brahmins. This ceremony being
finished, the tahly is brought to be fastened to the neck of the bride.
This, as I before said, is presented on a salver, decked and garnished
with sweet-smelling flowers. Incense is offered to it, and it is
presented to the assistants each of whom touches it and invokes
blessings upon it. The bride then turning towards the East, the
bridegroom takes the tahly, repeats a muntrum or prayer aloud, and ties
it around her neck.
Fire is then brought in, upon which the bridegroom offers up the
sacrifice of _homam_, which consists of throwing boiled rice with melted
butter upon the fire. He then takes his bride by the hand, and they walk
three times around it, while the incense is blazing.
There is another ceremony, which, perhaps, ought to be mentioned, as it
is considered by some to be one of much importance. Two baskets of
bamboo are placed close together, one for the bride, the other for the
bridegroom. They step into them, and two other baskets being brought,
filled with ground rice, the husband takes up one with both hands and
pours the contents over the head of the bride. She does the same to him.
In the marriage of great princes pearls are sometimes used instead of
rice.
On the evening of the third day, when the constellations appear, the
astrologer points out to the married pair a very small star, close to
the middle or in the tail of _Ursa Major_, which he directs them to
worship, and which he says is the wife of Vasestha.
While the assembled guests, are dining, the bridegroom and the bride
also partake, and eat together from the same plate. This is a token of
the closest union. This is the only instance in which they ever eat
together.
After all the ceremonies are finished, a procession is made through the
streets of the village It commonly takes place in the night, by
torchlight, accompanied with fire-works. The newly married pair are
seated in one palanquin with their faces towards each other, both richly
dressed. The bride, in particular, is generally covered with jewels and
precious stones.
The procession moves slowly; and their friends and relations come out of
their houses, as they pass; the women hailing the married couple with
the ceremony of _arati_, and the men with presents of silver, fruits,
sugar, and betel. I once witnessed one of these marriage processions in
the streets of Madras at night, but can give you but little idea of its
magnificence. The lamps used on the occasion could not be numbered. The
shrubbery, which was drawn on carts or other vehicles, appeared
exceedingly beautiful, in consequence of the light reflected from the
lamps. Intermingled with this shrubbery, were to be seen little girls
elegantly dressed, and adorned with flowers on their heads. Many
elephants, with their trappings of gold and silver and red, formed a
part of the procession. Fire-works were also added to make the scene
more brilliant.