Note 29 — PREFACE.
Reading edition
Early in the morning the king went to the House of Papa, to recite its prayer, together with the priest who understood the ordinance belonging to it. They both prayed, after which the priest said, “Listen to my words.” The king assented. “Your prayer was perfect, and your god has looked down favorably upon you.” The king then went to his place. Afterwards when it was daylight the king, together with the priests and the idols, again went to the temple to offer a short prayer to the deity. After the prayer the king offered as sacrifice to the deities, pigs, bananas, coconuts and a dead man. This prayer was called holua. The king’s feather god was then taken to the beach. It was a most sacred idol, and wherever it went sacredness was observed and all men and all chiefs prostrated before it. Then again the king entered the House of Papa to pray therein. Then came all the people and all the chiefs to be blessed by the priest of Papa, so that they might be released from any sea bathing restraint. This was the goddess who released the temple tabu, by which the uncleanness of all the people and of all the chiefs, and of all the priests was remedied. They had their bath this day, but they were not entirely free. This was an ordinance of the hono priest.29