Sentence:  About an hour or so before a bridegroom accompanied by his friends arrives at the house of the bride, a person, named for the occasion "Gamana" or "messenger", is sent forward with a number of betel leaves equal to the number of people, who accompany the bridegroom. The Gamana is to give these betel leaves to the bride's friends, together with the large <WSD>"pingo</WSD>" of plantains called "Gira-mul-tada", which in the Maritime districts is always a "sine qua non" of the presents, which a Singhalese bridegroom carries to his bride's house. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A measure of weight equivalent to that which can be carried using a pingo, perhaps about 55 pounds (25 kilograms) "(see the 2013 quotation)".