Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1904-12-05
HOW HlNDOO TAKES A BRIDE,
Simple Act by Which Sweethearts
Become Man and Wife.

In many parts of India Hindoo girls
are welded, not with ring but with
necklet or thali. says the London
Telegraph. At the wedding of the
daughter of a leading native at Moul
mein there were present among the
numerous guests Hindoo maiden and
! her lover. whose suit had not so far
progressed to his satisfaction. While
the wedding ceremony was in progress
the young man suddenly went up to
her and. before any one suspected
what his object was, pulled out a
thali from his pocket and quietly tied
il around her neck. OF course. there
was Il hubbub, and parental lamenta-
lions over this episode, but so great
Is the veneration for the thali among
Ilindoos that no one dared remove il
from the neck of the aStOnished maid
Ell. All concerned therefore repaired
to the Marianne temple, where the
act was ratified and the maiden who
went to the wedding of her friend fan
cy free left the scene as the legal wife
of Il bold and successful husband
A correspondent writing on the gen
eral use of the thali says:
Il was a guest of a Christian family
of position In South India which had
50 far departed from the ordinary rule
which prevents women from appear
ing before strangers that the mistress
of the house had deputed her young
daugnterin-law TO represent her as
hostess. The young lady was profuse-
ly decorated with jewelry. some of
which was unique in it's nature. and
she had not the slightest objection to
its being admired. AT dinner | was
suddenly struck with the absence OF
the wedding ring from her finger. and
on my asking her the reason she shyly
pointed to her neck.
This seemed somewhat strange, but
| thought that probably for some rea
son she had attached the ring to the
chain she was wearing around her
neck. | could. however, see no trace
Of 1t, and felt somewhat puzzled till
her husband explained that no wed
ding ring is used on the occasion of a
marriage. but for it is substituted the
thali. to which my hostess had drawn
my attention.
Among the Ora vidians Of South In
dia the thal plays the same purts as
the wedding ring among the Chris
tians in other parts of the world. No
marriage can be sOlemnized without it.
1t is small piece Of gold leaf in The
shape Of cucumber seed, which is
attached to Il necklet of worsted
thread or silk The Brahmins who
celebrated their marriage according to
Vedic rites, have adopted its use, and
after the sacred fire is prepared and
worShiped with oblati0n of ghee, the
blessings of the gods are invoked and
the thali Is tied around the neck of
the bride by the bridegroom, and then
the couple go round the sacred fire.
The Mohammedan converts, like the
Christians. find it hard to give up this
little jewel, with its happy associa
tons, and it may be seen adjoining the
necks of their wOmankind.
But, though the thali is an indica-
ton that girl is married | found.
much to my surprise, that In some in
stances it did not necessarily imply
that she was the wife of any particu-
lar individual. Within the precincts of
the temple | once met an attractive
looking woman. dressed very graceful
ly and decently. and amid the rci,
jewelry with which she was adorned
the thali was displayed somewhat OBJ
trusyely. took her to be member
Of some highly respectable family, but
was surprised to learn that she was a
davadassi (hand-maiden of the god
and was, in fact. a dancing girl at
tached to the temple. There is a spe-
cial case of these women. who, as soon
as they grow out of grlhood, are taken
to the temple and. with much cere-
monial. formally married to a sword
or god. the thalis being tied round
their necks by some man of the caste.
This class is sometimes recruited from
girls belonging to the Royas, Bebau-
rus and certain other castles, who, in
the absence Of male associates, dedi-
cate daughter to some deity"