The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-06-26
THE HINDOO BRIDE

TN MANY paris of India Hindoo girls
girls are welded, not with a ring,
but with a neeklet or thaH. A.
the wedding Of the daughter of a. lead
ing l.ative at Moulmein there were pres
ent among the numerous guests a Hin
doc maiden and her lover, " hose suit
had not so far progressed ~ IDS salts
faction. While the wedd.rg remony
was in progress the your an sud-
denly went UP to her. AMI before any
one suspected what his obg-et was. pull
ed out thah from his POCKET and
quietly tied It around her neck. OF
course. there was a hubbub. and paren-
tai lamentations over this episode, but
so great Is the veneration for the thali
among Hindoos that no one dared to
remove it from the neck OF the aston
ished maiden. All concerned. therefore.
repaired to the Marianne Temple
where the act was ratified, and the
maiden who went to the wedding of her
friend fancy free. left the scene as the
legal wife of a bold and successful hus-
band.
The Thali.
A correspondent writing to the Lon
don Telegraph" on the general use Of
the thalE. says:
I was guest OF a Christian family
Of position in South India which had
so far departed from the o. Iinarv
rule which prevents women from ap-
pearing before strangers that the mis-
tress OF the house had deputed her
young daughter-in-law to represent her
as hostess The young lady was profuse-
~ decked with jewelry. some OF which
was unique in its nature. and she had
not the slightest objection to its being
admired. At dinner I 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
No Wedding Ring.
This seemed somewhat strange but
I thought that probably for Some reason
she had attached the ring 10 TIE chain
she was wearing round her neck.
could, however. see no trace Of IL. and
felt somewhat puzzled till her husband
explained that no wedding II; lg is used
on the occasion of a marriage. but for
it is substituted the thaH. - which my
hostess had drawn my at.eltion
Among the Dravidians OF South India
the thali plays the same part as tho
wedding ring among the Christians IN
other parts of the world. No marriage
can be solemnized without II. II is
small piece OF gold leaf in the shape Of a
cucumber seed. which Is attached 10
a necklet OF worsted thread on silk. The
Brahmins. who celebrated their mar
riage according TO Vedic rites. have
adopted its use. and after the sacred fire
is prepared and wOrshiped with obls
lions Of ghee. the blessings Of the GODS
are invoked and the thalf IS tied around
the neck of tho bride by the BRIDE
groom, and tsen the couple go round the
sacred IRE. The Manouetan Converts
like the Christia IS. find II hard to give
up this little Jewel, with its Happy asso-
Citations, and 1t may be sean adjoining
the necks OF their womankiad.
Dedicated to God.
But, though the thali IS an indication
that a girl is married, I found. much to
my surprise, that in some instances IL
did not necessarily imply that she was
the wife of any particular individual.
Within the precincts of the temple
once met an attractive looking woman,
dressed very gracefully and decentIv
and amid the rich tewelry with which
she was adorned the than was ais
played somewhat obtrusively. I took
her to be a member of some highly re-
spectable family. but was surprised to
learn that she was deva-dassi Chand-
maiden of the god, and was. in fact a
Cancing girl attached to the temple
There is a special caste of these wO-
men. who. as soon as they grow out OF
giTlhOOd are taken to the temple and
with much ceremonial. formally mar
TieC to sword or q god, the thaIi
beng tied round their neck by some
mar of the caste. This class Is some
times recruited from girls belonging to
TIE ROyas. Bebaurus, and ce.tail other
castles. who. in the absence % male is
sue. dedicate daughter to some deity,
who they believe, Will give item sons.