Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 13, 1902.djvu/78

 66 Unlucky Children.

" The belief relates chiefly to the first Trikhal born in the family ; it applies to boys more than to girls (and indeed it is said in Kasur ^ that a girl after three boys is not unlucky at all),^ and evil is to be feared by both parents, but principally by the parent of corresponding sex. More- over, a boy born after three girls is also apt to be himself unlucky."

The ceremonies used to avert the evil effects, are often those employed when a child is born under an evil nakshatra ; but L. Lachmi Narain (Gurdaspur) states that for a trikhal, five earthen pitchers filled with water, containing golden images of Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh, Indra, and Rudra, are worshipped ; whereas in the case of a birth under the asterisms of Jyesta, Mula, Ashlekha,'and Magha, the leaves of seven trees ^ are used as described in No. 4 above ; and in the case of a child born in Karttik, four images of Brahma, Indra, Rudra, and Suraj, are placed in four pitchers covered with red and white cloth, and a little of the water sprinkled over the mother and child. Lastly, for a child born during an eclipse, three gold images, one of the nakshatra of birth, another of Rahu, and a third of the sun or moon (as the eclipse may have been) are worshipped.

Another name for the trikhal is tretar (said to be derived from Sks. tri, three, and attar, enemy"*), and in Hoshiarpur the performance of a fire-sacrifice with the aid of a Brahman after the si'itak period, is usual. Pala ° wood is burnt, and sugar, &c., thrown on to it.

In Karnal and Rohtak, a son born after three girls is usually called telar, (or named Telu Ram) ; and in

' See Punjab Notes and Queries, 1886, vol. iii., 453.

- And in Amritsar a girl so born is called " bukhal" or " lucky" child. Cf. ibid., 1885, vol ii., § 824, also § 136 (in Bombay).

' They should be male trees (katha, anar, tut, &c.) according to the Jhelum note.


 * [I* merely means " third." — \V. Crooke.]

•' \_Falasha.—\N. Crooke.]