Note 49 — D.

7. At night the bride and bridegroom are seated in a square (chauk) in the bride’s courtyard. The father’s sister’s husbands (apparently a survival of the matriarchate) who manage the business, sit on each side of the pair. They join the hands of the boy and girl, and putting a ring of grass on her finger pour water over their hands while they cry Bar kanya chiranji rahen—“Long life to bride and bridegroom.” This is said five times, and water is poured over their hands five times. Then the pair walk five times round a branch of the cotton tree (semal) which is fixed up in the marriage shed.49 Next a curry stone is placed before the pair and on it is laid a piece of betel-nut. The bridegroom holds the bride’s foot and knocks this off with her toe. This is known as kuri metna—“to obliterate the pile,” and is said to imply that the rule of the prohibited degrees has been observed in the marriage.50 Next the bridegroom takes some red lead and rubs the girl with it from the tip of her nose up to the crown of her head, while her sister comes forward and collects (sendur bahorna) any loose grains in the corner of her sheet. For this she gets a fee of two annas. Next the pair go into the kohabar or retiring room, where a good deal of coarse merriment goes on at the expense of the bridegroom.51 The ceremony winds up with a feast and the escort of the bride to her husband’s house. A day or two after bride and bridegroom take the two wedding jars (kalsa) to a neighbouring tank. The bride stands with her back to her husband and with an affectation of secrecy throws her jar into the water (kalsa dulâna). He then stands with his back to her and throws in his jar. Both proceed to search for them, and when they find them fill them with water and bring them home. On the way they rest them on the ground and pour a little of the bundiya sweetmeat made of gram flour and butter on the ground. Then they proceed to the tree under which is the shrine of Deonâth, the tribal god, and there make a fire offering (hom) with sugar and butter. This closes the marriage ritual, the binding portion of which is the application of red lead (sendurdân) to the parting of the bride’s hair.52