Note 14 — C

Marriage ritual. 12. Marriage is of two kinds—the shâdi, charh, or charhaua, which is the respectable form, and the dola, used by poor people. In Mirzapur the wedding invitation is distributed by the father’s sister’s husband of the boy. The marriage pavilion (mânro) is then erected. In the Gangetic valley it consists of four bamboos; Chamârs above the hills make it of nine poles of the siddh tree (Hardwickia binata) in obvious imitation of the Dravidian races by whom they are surrounded. On this day the Pandit ties round the wrist of the bride an amulet formed of mango leaves and thread. The next day is devoted to feeding the clansmen, and cakes of various kinds are offered to the sainted dead. Then follows the matmangara ceremony, which is done, as already described in the case of the Bhuiyas. Then as the procession starts, the bridegroom’s mother does the wave ceremony (parachhan) to keep off evil spirits. With the same object the bride’s mother puts some lamp-black on the bride’s eyelids, and hangs a necklace of beads round her neck. At the same time, as an assertion or acknowledgment of maternity, she offers the girl her breast. The bridegroom’s father is expected to take with the procession five ankle rings (mathiya) for the bride. The marriage is then performed by making the pair revolve five times round the ploughbeam (haris), which is fixed in the centre of the pavilion. There also is erected a rough wooden representation of a flock of parrots (suga) sitting on a tree. When the marriage is over all present scramble for the wooden parrots; but the pole on which they were hung is carefully kept for a year. During the marriage, a special dance, known as the natua nâch, is performed by members of the tribe, some of whom dress in women’s clothes. Chamârs can give no explanation of this practice, which may possibly be a symbolical ceremony done with the hope that the first child may be a boy, as the Argive brides used to wear false beards when they slept with their husbands.14 It is specially to be noticed that Brâhmans are not employed in the marriage ceremony. The whole business is done by the uncle and brother-in-law (phûpha, bahnoi) of the bridegroom. Before they leave the pavilion a goat or ram is sacrificed to Paramesari Devi, and the flesh is cooked at the marriage feast. The marriage ends with a general carouse at the nearest liquor shop.