Ritual songs and folksongs of the Hindus of Surinam

[p. 90]

40 Kohbar¹ [Uitvlugt, 1962]

bāje nagāṛā ke joṛī rāja ghara dulahā āye
jaba dulahā āye ągane mę sasuru karāye dvāra pūjā -

rāja ghara...

jaba re dulahā gaye māṛo mę, sasuru karāye kanyā dāna -

rāja ghara...

jaba re dulahā gaye kohabaṛa mę, salahaja khelāve jüā cālī -

rāja ghara...

A pair of nagāṛās² is sounding; the bridegroom has come to a royal home.
When the bridegroom comes into the courtyard, (his) father-in-law has the dvāra-pūjā performed.
When the bridegroom goes into the māṛo (his) father-in-law has the kanyā-dāna performed.
When the bridegroom goes into the kohbar, his salhaj has (him) play the game of dice.

1 When, after the wedding ceremony in the māṛo, the bride and the bridegroom are taken to the kohbar, a private chamber with various designs, the women again take over and this is an occasion for much fun, jokes and games of chance to see which of the newly wedded ones will rule the roost. For example, a hąsulī, a neck ornament, also depicted in the kohbar design as a symbol of marital bond, is thrown up to see whether the bride or the bridegroom would catch it. If the boy wins, his relatives say: mor pūtā jītelai, chinārī dheriyā hārelī (My son has won; the daughter of an adulteress has lost). If the girl wins, the boy's relatives say: mor pūtā hārelai, chinārī dheriyā jītelī (My son has lost; the daughter of an adulteress has won). There are many types of such little games.

2 See fig. 7.