TOKENS OF WIDOWHOOD 353
When women quarrel, this opprobrious term, moonda, is
generally the first abusive word that passes.
A widow has to be in mourning till her death. The
signs of mourning are as follows:— She is expected to have her head shorn once a month; she is not allowed to chew
betel; she is no longer permitted to wear jewels, with the
exception of one very plain ornament round her neck; she must wear coloured clothes no longer, only pure white
ones; she must not put saffron on her face or body, or mark her forehead \ Furthermore, she is forbidden to take part in any amusement or to attend family festivities, such as marriage feasts, the ceremony of upanayana, and
others; for her very presence would be considered an evil omen.
A very few days after the death of her husband, a widow ' s
house is invaded by female friends and relatives, who begin by eating a meal prepared for them. After this they surround the widow and exhort her to bear her miserable lot with fortitude. One after another they take her in their arms, shed tears with her, and end by pushing her violently to the ground. They next join together in lamenting her widowhood, and finally make her sit on a small stool. Then, one of her nearest female relatives, having previously muttered some religious formulae, cuts the thread of the tali, the gold ornament which every married woman in India wears round her neck. The
barber is called in, and her head is clean shaved. This double ceremony sinks her instantly into the despised and
hated class of widows. During the whole time that these curious and mournful rites are being performed, the unfortunate victim is making the whole house resound with her cries of woe, cursing her sad lot a thousand times.
The thread of the tali must be cut, not untied. This practice has given rise to a very common curse; two women when quarrelling never forget to say to each other:
' '
May you have your tali cut! which means, May you '
' become a widow!
The signs of sorrow manifested by a Hindu lady who
1
She must, however, smear her forehead with sacred ashes if she is a widow of the Saiva sect, and mark her forehead with red powder if
a Vaishnava. Ed.
DUBOIS
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