Storia do Mogor 203.3.3

203.3.3

Upon birthdays and other days of festival, above all on that of the New Year, when the king and the princes have themselves weighed, as I shall state farther on (III. 12)—on those days, I say, the chief ladies of the court are obliged to attend at the palace to make their compliments to the queens and princesses. From this ceremony the wives of Pathan captains are exempted. When the ladies attend there they never go in with empty hands, but always carry costly presents to be offered. They remain at the court until the end of the feast, which lasts usually six to nine days. The dancing-women and singing-women receive on these occasions handsome presents from the princesses and other great ladies. They either sing to compliment them on their birthday, or invoke on them all kinds of prosperity when congratulating them at the New Year.