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CHAPTER XI
GENERAL Various ceremonies are performed by In some localities again, the farmer hold cultivators at the time of ploughing the soil, the plough over the Sathia, touching it with sowing, reaping and harvesting. These cere- the end, eats a morsel of molasses, and bows to monies differ in details in different localities. the Sathia before starting.
In all places, an auspicious day for ploughing As a rule, seed is not sown on Saturdays or and sowing is fixed in consultation with an Tuesdays. Wednesday is believed to be the astrologer. On the day when ploughing is to ' most favourable day for this purpose. be commenced, the front courtyard of the house Sowing is commenced from that corner of is cowdunged and an auspicious figure called the field which has been pronounced by the Sathia* is drawn on it with the grains of astrologer to be the best for the operation. juvari
Sunday is believed to be the most auspicious A dish called kansàr is prepared, and served to day for reaping. While reaping, a part of all members of the family at the morning meal. the crop is offered to the image of Kshetrapal Their foreheads are marked with red powder, and to other village deities. In order to secure and a pice and betelnut are offered to the ' a good harvest, sweets are offered to the village Household gods. Hand-spun cotton threads gods on the eighth or tenth day of the bright marked at intervals with red powder are then half of Ashvin, or on the second day of the tied round the plough and to the horns of bright half of Kari which is called the bullocks which are to be voked to the Ananakuta 10 plough.2
No crop is brought into the house before a Next, the farmer stands waiting at the front part of it has been offered to the local deities, 11 door of his house for good onens, and when! When juice is to be extracted from sugara few are scen, sets out for his field.
canes, the mill is first worshipped. In the In some places, the foreheads of the bullocks shed crected for storing the jars of molasses, are daubed with red lead, clarificd butter is an image of Ganpati is installed, and worshipapplied to their horns, and they are fed with ped before placing the jars in the shed. 12 molasses.
The first jar of molasses and two bits of In others, a betelnut is placed over, the sugar cane are offered to the local deities 13 Sathia and given to the person who first meets Before reaping cotton, offerings are made the farmer on leaving his house.
to the village gods.14 1 The School Master of Chhatrasa,
2 The School Master of Vanod. 3 The School Master of Devalia.
4 The School Master of Kotda Sangani, 5 The School Master of Jetpur.
& The School Master of Jetpur. 1 The School Master of Ganod.
8 Mr. K. D. Desai, · The School Master of Jodia.
10 The School Master of Movaiya. 11 The School Masters of Zinzuváda and Devalia 12 The School Master of Luvaria. 13 The School Master of Bhāyāvadar.
14 The School Master of Kotda Sangani, • See p. 14, supra.
