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Puberty rites
The attainment of puberty marked the next important festival in the life
of a girl. For the three days after the menstruation begins, the girl
had to remain in isolation. She was secluded in an inside chamber. An
oil lamp would be lit in the chamber, in front of which a bunch of coconut
flowers would be placed inside a bronze vessel filled with water. The
belief was that the girl would have as many children as there were tender
coconuts on the bunch of flowers. On the third day, the aunts of the girl
brought to her a preparation of sweet rice as their present, on her attaining
womanhood. After the period of pollution was over, the girl would be taken
out to the family pond for a ceremonial bath. Before proceeding for bath
the flower bunch in the vessel would be thrown out. During the bath, women
sang and swam with the girl. After the bath the velan (the village sorcerer)
conducted his rituals with songs invoking prosperity for the girl. On
the fifth day, the velan conducted the purification ritual by adorning
her with ornaments made of tender coconut leaves and singing songs and
was rewarded both in money and in kind.
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