amm ondārki khardki ondāi amm onāey." "Drink girl, [this] water. When you feel tired after collecting cowdung, [or after] husking [paddy], [or after] bringing water, take and drink [this] water." These cups of rice-beer ceremonially presented are not, as I have said, actually drunk by bridegroom or bride. Before the cups containing Khiri-tengnā bōṛey are presented to the lips of bride and bridegroom, in some places, by way of jest, some man or woman who has some " joking relationship" with the couple (such as a sister's husband or wife's sister) presents empty leaf-cups to the lips of the couple saying, "Drink, Babu, you are thirsty." "The Maia (girl) is angry and refuses to drink." Empty leaf-plates are also placed before them and a pretence of serving rice on these plates and of washing the hands of the couple, as if after they have eaten, is made.

Then actual rice-beer is given first to the bridegroom to drink and next to the bride, and then distributed to all the assembled guests, male and female.

Now an old man or an old woman addresses the couple as follows, three times over again :

Khiri khiri māni khiri; telā-khōppānū men iri; mendāekā mālā, Babu, mindikā Maia? Menjkirae. Babus sendrākalos kar ngā-kalos. Eret-laggo tir-lāggo, lāngṛā mānos ṭhūṭhā mānos. Asin längṛā āmkebā, ṭhūṭhā āmkebā. Māia. Mindikā mālā ? ▲ur Māià, chulhānu erkhōs, chūnj-kānū ūmlōs. Asin umblos amkebā; āur chulhānū irkhios āmkebā, Māiā. Mindikā mālā? Dāngrā mōchā kāos. Adin öndrōs. Adın irtkey Mai. Ādin ahṛā ādhā ādhā mōkkhē. Adın, Babu, mōkhō-hōlè mōkkhāmkebā, Bābu. Mendae kā mālā? Äur bhūtang-lō tõkkhā kão, männenti khātrō. Adigahi khed esro, khekkha esrō, adin lāngri mānjā, ādin ṭhuthi mānjā āmkebā, Bābu. Mendaikā mālā, Bābu? Nagad nanke ōnkē; menā Babu ninhu Mãiā menae. Nagad nánke ōnke. Innantim sangē nānke önkē. Khiri khiri anti telākhoppānā mānē khiri anti telākhōppānā; menë iri; menā Bābū, menāe Mārā, innānti minjkirākē, menā Bābu menjkārāke. Hübṛāntim munjrā ākku, kālā ākku. Chōa, ōl äggā. Irbarim ol äggā ; ol ākkā raku ; kālā derā.

"I am now going to tell you riddles-true riddles. In an ebony bush it looks upward. Do you hear, boy? Do you hear, girl? Go on hearing (i.e. retain in your memory what I say). The boy goes to hunt. He will be hit at with an arrow, he will become lame; [yet] don't you call him lame, O, girl. Do you hear or not? Again, he will pass stools into the hearth, micturate into the husking-mortar, [but yet] don't say he has made water, don't say he has passed stools, Do you hear or not? He will go to cut up the carcase of some dead cattle; he will bring that [home]; do you cook that. Both of you eat the meat half and half. O Boy, if she eats, don't say she has eaten. Do you hear or not? And if she goes to pluck bhutang from a bhutang (p kur) tree, and if she falls down [from the tree] and her leg is broken, [or] her hand is broken, don't say, O Boy, that she has become lame in her leg or mained in her arm. Do you hear or not boy? Work well, drink well. Listen, boy; listen thou too, O girl. From this day work together and eat together. I have finished my speech. Now, go; get up and salute [all], both of you. " (After the couple salute all present,) "Now, you have finished. Go to your quarters.

رو

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The bridegroom is then escorted back to his quarters.

(7) Sabha Sindri

After the Khiri-tengna ceremony, the bride and bridegroom are taken to the marriage-platform (māṇḍōa) and their formal and open anointing with vermilion known as Sabhā-Sindri is performed. Both are seated on a mat turned upside down three times and then spread out on the mud-platform. The bride sits on the left of the bridegroom, with their faces to the east, the bride's sister or other near female relative marks the bridegroom's forehead and temples with vermilion diluted in oil. And similarly the bridegroo n.'s sister or other near female relative marks the bride's forehead and temples with vermilion mixed in oil. Then bridegroom and bride are conducted together to every one of the guests and relatives and each one

The answer to this is, Asaglaro, i.e. a kind of hairy insect which is poisonous.

is saluted by the couple. Then the bridegroom is conducted back to the quarters of his party.

(8) Mandi-ona or eating rice together

Then some relatives of the bride take a pot of rice-beer, some tobacco leaves, and one small pot of oil, a jug of water, and some tooth-brushes made of tree twigs to the quarters allotted to the bridegroom's party. When dinner is ready, the bridegroom is again conducted back to the bride's house and both bride and bridegroom are given a meal of rice and curry (āmkhi) made of chhiḍḍa or baris which are small cakes made of urid (Phaseolus Roxourghb ii) pulse and cucumber. When bride and bridegroom have eaten, dinner is served to all the guests. After dinner, tobacco and lime are distributed to the guests to chew. Then after mutual salutes, the bridegroom's party take leave of the bride's people, and lead the bride home with them. The bride's parents hand over to her an arrow which she has to carry till her arrival at her husband's house. This is meant to ward off the evil eye and to scare away any spirits that might seek to follow her or harm her on the way. The girl is carried some distance from her parents' home in the arms of some relative of her husband. For the first and last time the elder brother of the bridegroom may touch the new bride now; be usually carries her in his arms a short distance and then female relatives carry her turn by turn to some distance. Formerly, it is said, while the bride was being thus carried to her husband's home, her people would make a show of rescuing her and carrying her off, whereupon the bridegroom's people would pursue her and bring her back and run away with her; she would be again rescued by her people, and this acting would go on for a distance of a mile or more, and then the bride's people would return to their village, leaving the bride with her husband's people.

III.-Ceremonies at the Bridegroom's House after
Marriage

(1) Reception of the Bride

On arrival at the bridegroom's house, the bride's feet are washed with water in a brass dish by some female member of

the family. Two baskets are placed, one next to another, in the courtyard of the house. The bridegroom walks behind the bride pressing her heels with his toes (as in the gurkhi-tirkhna ceremony), and both put their feet together first into one basket and then into the other. The baskets are then again placed on their way one behind the other and they again put their feet successively into them as before. And this process is repeated till they reach the doorway of the but when they both step into one basket thus standing on it. The door is now shut against them or rather against the bride by a younger sister of the bridegroom who does not open the door until the bride pays her an anna or so. When the door is opened, the bride enters the room and she may not leave it until the ḍānḍā kāṭṭā or the ceremony of "cutting the evil teeth” has been performed by a māti in the manner described in a previous article.

(2) Sindri-pabe

After the daṇḍā kāṭṭā ceremony, the bride is bathed in the house with water brought from the village spring or tank or well. Then a female member of the family, or, in some villages, the Goraitin (wife of village musician and messenger) anoints the forehead and the parting of her hair with vermilion. The day's proceedings terminate in a feast to fellow-villagers and relatives.

(3) First Bath and Meal

Very early next morning the couple are conducted to the village ḍāri or spring, where the bride has to put three marks of vermillon diluted in oil at the mouth of the spring or on the wood or stone marking the spring. The leaf in which the vermilion was carried is thrown into the water of the dari. It is said that, in former days, the bridegroom on this occasion would rub a kind of red earth over the head of the bride and cleanse and wash it, and so would the bride cleanse and wash the head of the bridegroom. But this custom has now fallen into disuse. Then the bride and bridegroom each draws a jar of water from the spring and the bridegroom carries the two jars

On the

home in a sikā bāhingā or carrying-pole and nets. arrival of the couple at the house, the elder brothers of the bridegroom put down at the bride's feet an anna or so of copper coin and take up the water-jars and deftly pour some water on her head and she promptly enters the hut as if to avoid them. This signifies that from that day the new bride and her husband's elder brothers are taboo to each other. The bride and bridegroom are then seated apart in the same room. A meal of rice, pulse, etc. is first served to the bridegroom and then to the bride who is also given a portion of rice from the plate from which her husband has eaten. The bride sits quiet and does not touch the food unless and until some money (from four annas upwards) is paid to her.

(4) Era-kirtana and Baharaont

A day or two later, a number of female relatives of the bride come to the bridegroom's house to take back the bride to her parents' place. On their arrival the bridegroom's people give them water to wash their feet. They are then entertained with plenty of rice-beer which is followed up with a hearty meal of boiled rice, pulse-soup, vegetable curry, etc. The bride is then taken back to her parents' place. Generally the bridegroom is also invited and taken to his father-in-law's place along with the bride. Two or three of his relatives accompany the bridegroom on this occasion. In some instances the bridegroom is invited and taken to his father-in-law's place sometime later; but this must be done within the year of marriage. The bridegroom and his companions are entertained for a day or two as best as the means of the father-in-law allows, and then return home with the bride.

(5) Jhara Gunda

When going back to her husband's place, the bride takes with her as a present to her husband's family from her parents a pot of rice-beer (jhārā) and a small basketful of riceflour (gundā). These are carried by her female companions. It is believed that unless this present of jhārā gūnḍā, as it is called, is sent with the girl, she will become barren, or, even if she