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516
THE INDIAN ANTIQUABY.
DECEMBER, 1902.
A first-born child, whether a boy or girl, and his nose is drilled, like a girl, or he is given should not be married in Joth' (or, one account away to a low-caste man (a Barar or a Chuhra), adds, in Magb), nor should the mother eat first, from whom the child is redeemed by the parente fruits in that month (because se she devours them, by paying money or grain. so too will the fates devour her first-born). The
The Pokha. -(i) Of three male children born position of the first-born is probably due to the
one after the other, the middle one is said to be fact that, it a son, his father is born again 10 bum, lacky. Of three successive female children the so that the father is supposed to die at his birth,
middle one is considered unlucky. and in certain Khatri sections, e.g., the Kochhar, his funeral rites are actually performed in
(i) A boy following and preceding a
girl is
A girl following and the fifth month of the mother's pregnancy. regarded as inauspicious. Probably herein lies an explanation of the dev-kdi preceding a boy is believed to be lucky. or divine nuptials, a ceremony which consists in An inanapicious child is termed bhdrd-pokhi# formal remarriage of the parents after the wald, while an auspicious one is called halka birth of their first son. The wite leaves her pokhd-wodid. When a woman commences to grind husband's house, and goes, not to ber parents' wheat, to spin, or to churn milk, she will not house, but to the house of a relative, whence she allow one or the former to stand by her, because is brought back like a bride. This custom pre- she believes that the presence of such a child will vails among the Khanna, Kapar, Malhotra, Kakar render the work difficult or impossible. She will and Chopra, the highest sections of the Hindu either send him away or ignore his presence. On Khatris.
the other hand, the presence of one of the latter These ideas are as almost logical outcome of
children is considered a good omen, and women che doctrine of the metempsychosis, and item
I believe that their work will be easily finished if inevitably results that if the first-born be a girl,
girl. such a child be sitting by them. she is peculiarly ill-omened.
Birth Superstitions. Twins.
There are some curious customs connected
with births at particular times or after certain There appears to be no superstitions in the
periods. For instance, a child (unlike a call) born Panjab connected with twins (dala or jonlori),
in the month of Bhadon is lucky, while one born but in one part of the Kangra District the child
in Katik is inawapicious. In the latter case it is born after twins is called laukha or 'little.'
considered sinful to keep the mother in the The Bequence of Births.
house, and she should be expelled from it, but There is little to be added to the notes already instead she may be made over, temporarily, to kiven, but the following details may be of in. Brahman and afterwards redeemed from him. terest :-In Kangra a child of one sex bom after two of the other sex is called trolar." and, with
According to the Shastras'a wife who has no
child for some years is called rundh; one who does that primitive confusion of thought which makes no distinction between that which is holy and
not bear a child for 10 years, Inaj budhia; and that which is accursed, we have the proverb -
after 21 or 24 years, sut budhia. It then she bears
a child, a fire of dried oow-dung is burnt in front Trelar rele ya sangele,' i. e. 'a trelar' either
of the house, and the woman is sent away out of brings Ovil or good fortune.'
the village to live for 40 days ( period called the In the same district a child of one sex born purmut) in a thatched hat, after which Brahmans
ter three of the other is called cholar, and is, are fed and she is allowed to return, especially if a boy, propitious. As such he is presumably an object of jealousy to the fateo,
H. A. Rose 1 But, woording to the Math-Khatra Granth, sloks retam and promines her propent of jewelry, where 15, of Bhardwaj Rikhi, it is only necesary to avoid apon the son sents to come baok home. marriage in Jet L, il both parties bejthas, ..., born in
Should a wifo bear 90 children (!), she must also be Jith; or, if it is not possible to avoid Jath, the ceremony
married to her boeband. This ceremony of tomarriago should not be held in the Kirt Nakshatra during that is precisely the same that of a fire marriage, but it is month.
performed on the root of the house.
. .
The Mahan Gadhidk Sheikhs of Jholam also retain 1 According to one nocountKoohbar wifo in the it. It costs about half as much as rich marriage. sixth month of her pregnancy pretends to be dieplonged Tyl's third ploughing.'Jukes, Western Punjabi And goes away from bur home. Her husband have his Dictinary: ... head, beard, eta, and your after her with low me of Pokhus in Maltanian omen or augury-Jukos, bis brotherhood. Os finding bot, be outroata ber to Western Pwyabi Dictionary. Av.
