The caste worships especially Bhairon and Devi, and each section of
it reveres a special incarnation of Devi, and the Bhairon of some
particular village. Thus, for instance, the Namchurias worship the
goddess Parvati and the Bhairon of Jaria Gowara; the Bania, Nayar,
Hekdya and Mochi septs worship Chamunda Mata and the Bhairon of Jaipur,
and so on. Members of the caste get triangular, rectangular or round
pieces of silver impressed with the images of these gods, and wear them
suspended by a thread from their necks. A similar respect is paid to
the Ahut or the spirit of a relative who has met with a violent death
or died without progeny or as a bachelor, the spirits of such persons
being always prone to trouble their living relatives. In order to
appease them songs are sung in their praise on important festivals,
the members of the family staying awake the whole night, and wearing
their images on a silver piece round the neck. When they eat and
drink they first touch the food with the image by way of offering it
to the dead, so that their spirits may be appeased and refrain from
harassing the living. Kirs revere and worship the cow and the pipal
tree. No Kir may sell a cow to a butcher. A man who is about to die
makes a present of a cow to a Brahman or a temple in order that by
catching hold of the tail of this cow he may be able to cross the
horrible river Vaitarni, the Styx of Hinduism, which bars the passage
to the nether regions. The Kirs believe in magic, and some members of
the caste profess to cure snake-bite. The poison-curer, when sent for,
has a small space cleared and plastered with cowdung, on which he draws
lines with wheat flour. A new earthen pot is then brought and placed
over the drawing. On the pot the operator draws a figure of Hanuman
in vermilion, and another figure on the nearest wall facing the pot. A
brass plate is put over the pot and the person who has been bitten by
the snake is brought near it. The snake-charmer then begins to name
various gods and goddesses and to play upon the plate, which emits, it
is said, a very melancholy sound. This performance is called bharni and
is supposed to charm all beings, even gods and serpents. The snake who
has inflicted the bite is then believed to appear in an invisible form
to listen to the bharni, and to enter into the sufferer. The sufferer
is questioned, being supposed to be possessed by the snake, and asked
why the bite was inflicted and how the snake can be appeased. The
replies are thought to be given by the snake, who explains that he
was trampled on, or something to that effect, and asks that milk or
some sweet-smelling article be placed at his hole. The offering is
promised, and the snake is asked not to kill the sufferer, to which he
agrees. The snake usually gives the history of his former human birth,
stating his name and village and the cause of his transmigration into
the body of a serpent. The Kirs believe that human beings who commit
offences are re-born as snakes, and they think that snakes live for
a thousand years. After giving this information the snake departs,
and the person who has been bitten is supposed to recover. The chief
festivals of the Kirs are Diwali and Sitala Athain. They worship
their ancestors at Diwali, making offerings of cooked food, kusha
grass and lamps made of dough at the river-side. The head of the
family sprinkles water and throws the kusha grass into the river,
lights the wicks placed in the lamps and burns a little food in them,
calling on the names of his ancestors. The rest of the food he takes
home and distributes to his caste-fellows. Sitala Athain is observed
on the seventh day of the dark fortnight of Chait. Devi is worshipped
at night with offerings of milk and whey, and on the next day no food
is cooked, the remains of that of the previous day being eaten cold,
and the whole day is devoted to singing the praises of the goddess.