CHAPTER IV.

MARRIAGE AMONG THE HINDOOS.


My dear Children--Marriage, to the Hindoos is the greatest event of
their lives. In the celebration of it, many ceremonies are performed Of
these I will mention some of the most important. If the father of the
young girl is a Brahmin, and if he is rich and liberal, he will
frequently bear all the expenses of the marriage of his daughter. To
give a daughter in marriage and to sell her, are about the same thing.
Almost every parent makes his daughter an article of traffic, refusing
to give her up until the sum of money for which he consented to let her
go, is paid. Men of distinction generally lay out this money for jewels,
which they present to their daughters on their wedding-day. You will
infer from what I have just said, that the parties to be married have
nothing to do in the choice of each other.

There are properly but four months in the year in which marriages can
take place, namely March, April, May, and June. This probably arises
from the circumstance that these are the hottest seasons of the
year--the seasons when the people have more leisure to attend to them.
From the harvest, also, which has just been gathered in, they are
provided with means to perform the various ceremonies.

The marriage ceremony lasts five days. The bride and bridegroom are