Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review Volumes 32 and 33.djvu/718

 4o8 The Ctilt of the Doo?- amongst the Miao

selves to the millet from one large central basket. It was really a kind of holy communion. The sons of the household were allowed to partake of the meal, but not the daughters. These were not permitted to participate because some day they would marry and go to another household, of which they would become an integral part. Were they to partake of the sacrificial meal their souls would become attached to the house of their birth, thus causing their marriages to be unsuccessful. Sooner or later their husbands would discard them and they would be returned to their home. The wife of the sacrificer was allowed to eat of the offering. She with the wives of relatives sat at a separate table from that used by the men. Children of relatives were never allowed to participate. Salt was the only condiment used as seasoning.

In the preparing of food the Miao are not cleanly, but on such an occasion as this very particular care is taken to ensure that everything is clean. All bones and gristle were burnt in the fire. It was forbidden to throw anything on the floor. When the meal was finished each participant stood over the fire, where he wiped his mouth with both hands, throwing the breath as it were into the fire. After this he rubbed both the hands over the fire. This was done to cleanse the hands and mouth and breath. It was an act of cleansing, the idea being that all that was unclean would thereby be destroyed. If all the meat was not consumed, that which was left over could be eaten on the morrow, but the bones and gristle must be consumed by fire. After the meal the guests quietly returned to their homes, but no member of the household went outside. To have done so would have caused blindness. With the exception of the father and the eldest son the inmates of the house now retired to sleep. Father and son waited until some two hours before sunrise, when, standing close to the door, the father ate a small piece of the cooked meat which he had carefully put to one side for this purpose. After partaking of this the head of the household in the hearing of his son quietly repeated a few words which had been handed down from generation to generation. Usually the formula was : " We worship thee, oh I door. Keep away sick- ness ! Keep away disease ! Keep away slander ! Keep away