Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-09-12
HLNDOO ACCOUNT-BOOKS.
The Vdhee Pocja sciA Which PiOus Hin
docs Begin the business Year.
FFrom the Bombay GaZettel


docs Begin the business Year.
(From the Bombay Gazette]
A correspondent writes Dewalee,
the feast of lanterns, has often. been de-
scribed in your columns. proceed to
describe the interesting ceremony of
Vahee Pooja, which / was invited to wit
ness at the Office of distinguished native
arm. Among the natives of India, wheth-
er they be Parsees, Mohammedans or
Hindoos, for practical purposes the new
year commences with that of the Hin
docs. The ceremony of Vahee Pooia, as
its name denotes, is worshiping of the
account-book for thenew year. It takes
place day before the Dewalee, and is
performed not only by every merchant
and trader, but even by private persons.
In short, the new year among natives of
India, whether for business or house
hold affairs, commences with the new
year of the Hindoos. This necessitates
the closing of old accounts and opening
of new ones, and for the latter purpose
new books are used, but before they can
be utilized they must be worshiped, and
each according to his means does this.
The weather. native firms avail them
selves of the opportunity to invite their
friends and constituents to be present to
wish them happy and prosperous year.
The firm who had invited me is one of
the oldest Parsee firms in Bombay. I
of course expected the pooja, or cere-
mony Of worshiping, would be performed
by the mobeds or dustoors-a sort OF
josatsa cerem ony-bu5 Was surprised on
entering the Office to see che place OF
honor assigned to half-starved and very
dirty-looking Brahmin. On the floor Of
one Of the rooms was spread o clean
hoor-cloth with huge cushions near the
walls, in the center of which were placed
silver trays containing pan supayee,
cocoanuts, 6ottoSaS, dried dates, sugar
cane, coriander seeds and silver and cop
per coins. In an adjoining room was
placed silver vase containing fire and
round It stood one of the high priests,
dustoors, of the Parsees, attended by
several mobeds. When a}l the prepare
tiors were completed we took our seats
by the well-adjusted cushions, and all
who knew Gazerati were given a new
account-boo and new pen, and each
wrote on. the second leaf of the book
what seemed to be a supplication to the
deity invoking his blessings On as many
names as he is known by IN the Zoroas-
trian calendal) for the new year, which
is written III full with its corresponding
English and Parsee dates. When some,
thirty books had been SO written up. the
Drahmin who sat in the center amid
trays containing The articles above
enumerated-had them submerged in
.golaJ and the red stuff used by natives
on all suspicious occasions and thus
the dUstoor and his mobeds on the one
hand, and the BRahmin on the other.
invoked the deity's blessings. The
duties of the Brahmin were not. how
ever, confined to simply supplicating his
gods TO bless the undertakings for the
coming year Of the Parsee firm; they
seemed to be Of multifarious nature. for
he appeared to have had to bless (by
muttering something in Sanscrit) each
article as he took it from the tray, and,
after besmearing it with the red stuff, to
place it on one Of the many new account
books near him. This went on until the
trays were emptied Of their contents.
Then IN small silver dish were mixed
some coriander-seeds with sugar and
given to all the guests to eat ; and then,
as it were by way of final drama attic
effect, the Brahmin took small silver
vessel, and in it placed some OF the red
stuff with two or three pieces of ignited
camphor, and had it taken about the
room while he stood up shouting at the
top of his voice, "Brahma Brahma -
Then were distributed money, nosegays
aud pan Suparee to all those present,
and the proceedings terminated. I was
informed that the books and articles
would be left undisturbed on the floor
as placed by the Brahmin until the new
years day.