On the following morning, both men and women repeated their visit.  The former, however, did not enter the house; they lit a fire and prepared a plain meal.  As often as a party of women came, one of the men went to the house-door and announced them, upon which the principal mourner came out of the house to receive them.  She threw herself with such violence on the ground before them, that I thought she would not be able to rise up again; the women struck themselves with their fists once on their breasts, and then drew their hands to their heads.  The widow raised herself in the meantime, threw herself impetuously round the necks of each of the women, throwing, at the same time, her head-dress over the head of her consoler, and both endeavoured to out-do each other in howling.  All these evolutions were very rapidly performed; a dozen embraces were gone through in a moment.  After the reception, they went into the house and continued howling at intervals.  It was not until sun-set that all was still, and a supper concluded the whole affair.  The women ate in the house—­the men in the open air.

Funerals and marriages always cost the Hindoos a great deal.  The one here described was that of a woman of the poorer class.  Nevertheless, it is considered essential that there should be no want of toddy during two days, or of provisions for meals, at which there are an abundance of guests.  In addition to this, there is the wood, which also costs a considerable sum, even when it is only common wood.  The rich, who use on such occasions the most costly wood, frequently pay more than a thousand rupees (100 pounds).

I once met the funeral procession of a Hindoo child.  It lay upon a cushion, covered with a white sheet, and was strewed with fresh and beautiful flowers.  A man carried it on both his arms as gently and carefully as if it was sleeping.  In this instance, also, there were only men present.

The Hindoos have no particular festival-day in the week, but festivals at certain times, which last for some days.  I was present at one of these during my stay, Warusche-Parupu, the New-Year’s festival, which took place on the 11th of April.  It was a kind of fast-night celebration.  The principal amusement consisted in throwing yellow, brown, and red colours over each other, and painting themselves with the same on their cheeks and foreheads.  The noisy tam-tam, or a couple of violins, headed the procession, and greater or less followed, who, laughing and singing, danced from house to house, or from one place to another.  Several, indeed, on this occasion, found the toddy rather too exciting, but not so much as to lose their consciousness or to exceed the bounds of decorum.  The women do not take part in these public processions; but, in the evening, both sexes assemble in the houses, where the festivities are said not to be carried on in the most decorous manner.