A History of the Mahrattas v1.c28.68

v1.c28.68

² These preparations signified that they were come forth to die. [Turmeric (*haldi*), the powdered tubers of the *Curcuma longa*, figures very largely in religious and other ceremonies, from the belief in yellow as a potent spirit-scarer. A few days before marriage the bride will wear a robe dyed in turmeric; the marriage letter of invitation is coloured with turmeric; it is used in the ceremony of the boundary oath in Madras, in vows for procuring children, and is frequently waved in a gourd round a sick man. Corpses are often smeared with turmeric before cremation, a custom which is not peculiar to the so-called Aryan Hindus, but prevails also among