Puberty Rites or ‘Terundukuli’ is a ceremony celebrated
when the girl attains puberty and gets her first menstrual period. The
attainment of puberty marked an important festival in the life of a girl. She
is treated like a princess. For the three days after the menstruation begins,
the girl had to remain in isolation. She was secluded in a separate room for
fifteen days, where only ladies are allowed. An oil lamp would be lit in the
room, 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. All the
close aunts and their families are informed and they brought to her varied
sweets and ‘Payasam’, a dessert with
rice, and gifts the following days, as a recognition on attaining the status of
a young lady. The girl is given nutritious food including eggs on those days.
It is significant to note
that when a girl reaches puberty she is given many warnings by elder ladies to
stay away from boys!
On
the 16th day, after the period of pollution was over, all friends
and relatives are invited and some rituals are performed by the priest. The
girl is decorated like a bride on that day with a new sari, jewelleries and
made to sit in front of relatives and friends and the priest does some puja (worship) and then the girl would
be taken out to the family pond for a ceremonial bath with neem leaves and
turmeric powder mixed in the water. The women folk present at the pond site
would make a ‘Kurava’, a shouting by women, like “Lu..Lu..Lu..Lu.. with their tongue out,
and covering their mouth with one hand,”
to announce the good news to the world. During the bath, women sang and swam
with the girl. Then she is again made to wear new sari and made to sit in front
of relatives and friends and the elders bless the girl and give gifts. Then
with a great vegetarian ‘Sadhya,’
feast the function comes to an end. This big ceremony is information to the
relatives that the girl is now ready for marriage. Child marriages were
prevalent till the early decades of the 20th century. These rituals
varied slightly from caste and community. At present such ritual traditions
have started fading out.
Excerpts from
MEMOIRS
An autobiography
by
Joseph J. Thayamkeril
Lawyer, Kochi, Kerala, India.
josephjthayamkeril.blogspot.com
josephjthayamkeril@google.com
josephjthayamkeril@gmail.com
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