CEREMONIES AT CHILDBIRTH.

As soon as a child is born, the father bathes himself in cold water, worships the deities and performs the ´Sráddha ceremonies, and stirring some honey and ghee together with a gold ring, puts it into the infant's mouth. The midwife then cuts the umbilical cord, and immediately upon its severance the whole family become unclean. In this state they refrain from the Homa sacrifice and the worship of the deities and from repeating the gáyatrí and many other ceremonies, contenting themselves with interior remembrance of the Deity. If this takes place in a Bráhman's family, his children and relations to the fourth degree of consanguinity are ceremonially unclean for ten days; the relations of the fifth degree, for six days; those of the sixth degree, for four days; of the seventh, for three; of the eighth for one day and night, and those of the ninth continue so for four pahrs.

At the close of these periods they are freed after ablution of the body. But the usual rule is that a Bráhman together with his kindred to the seventh degree, are unclean for ten days; a Kshatriya, for twelve days; a Vaiśya and the superior* class of ´Súdra for fifteen days, and the inferior ´Súdras for thirty days. During this time strangers avoid associ­ating or eating with them. This state is called Sútaka (impurity from childbirth). A prince and his attendants, his physician, cook, overseer, and other servants of the crown are not subjected to this condition, but on the sixth day certain prayers are offered to the Deity and rejoicings are made, and the mother and child are bathed.

The day after the expiration of the Sútaka, they name the child and look in the astronomical table for the sign and station of the rising of the moon. The initial of his name is taken from the letter which is there­with connected* and a name of more than four letters is considered blame­worthy. In the fourth month they bring it into the sun before which time it is never carried out of the house. In the fifth month they bore the lobe of the right ear. In the sixth month, if the child be a boy, they place various kinds of food around him, and feed him with that for which he shows a preference. If it be a girl, this is not done till the sixth or seventh month. When it is a year old, or in the third year, they shave his head, but by some this is delayed till the fifth year, by others till the seventh, and by others again till the eighth year, when a festival is held. In the fifth year they send him to school and meet together in rejoicing.

They observe the birthday and annually celebrate it with a feast, and at the close of each year make a knot on a thread of silk. He is invested with the sacred string at the appointed time. At each of these occasions they perform certain works and go through some extraordinary ceremonies.