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When all arrive, the ceremony begins. Usually, children are delivered at home. If a woman gives birth at her natal home, she needs to be puriied. On the day
of removing the pollution, the natal home also should be puriied. It is believed that blood should be shown on that day, so they sacriice a fowl or goat. he
Bahun puriies the house by sprinkling water dipped in gold
sunpani, sesame, barley, and an earthen lamp. hen he puts turmeric powder and lour and makes
a yellow line on the jagge altar. he animal is sacriiced and it is rotated around
the jagge. On the ire of the jagge, the newborn is lifted according to the number
of days of the child’s age. After the Bahun shouts that the pollution went away, it is considered gone. After the ceremony, the mother is sprinkled with sunpani
and she is allowed in. Until the baby is christened, the mother and the child are kept in a room, and she should not touch anything in the house. Villagers
also do not allow the mother to touch any sacred things. he naming ceremony is a little diferent from other communities. Nowadays the name is chosen by
the family when they organize a feast and jagge. But in the past, the baby was named according to the month, day, and place of birth. For example, a child
born on Sunday may have the name
Aaite aitabar=Sunday, born at karasa is called
Karasi, born in the month of Ashad is Asare. According to Lilbhan Badi, there was no tradition of
Chhaithi. hey copied this tradition from the house of the king or nobles when they went to entertain
at Chhathi. Badis dance the whole night and entertain to please the Bhabi
fate goddess so that she may write good destiny for them during Chhathi.
Nowadays there is a ritual of keeping a book under the mattress of the baby, wishing that the baby becomes a learned person.
In the past, because they needed to beg food from one village to another, they did not celebrate the rice feeding ceremony of the baby. But they have now
begun to adopt this ritual. hey fed the baby jaulo at six months for a baby
boy and at ive months for a baby girl. However nowadays, some have begun organizing a small feast.
here are ixed rules for the baby’s shaving ceremony. When a baby reaches nine months, the maternal uncle shaves the baby’s head. he uncle has an important
role during this ceremony. He is fed good food and is given a set of clothes, and the uncle also gives the baby a new set of clothes. he hair is collected in a leaf-
plate
tapari so that it does not fall on the ground. Along with a lamp, the hair in the leaf-plate is carried away in the river. It is believed that if the hair reaches
the sea, the child will live a long life.
3.8.2 Bratabandha
Badis do not have the ritual of bratabandha and chaurasi. It is said this is so
because all rituals of bratabandha ceremony are done by the Brahmin, and
because Brahmins do not come to Badi’s house due to untouchability, they do
not observe such rituals. Badis also do not wear the sacred thread janai.
3.8.3 Marriage
When a girl is born to a brother, there is a ritual where the sister ties a thread symbolizing the baby as the future daughter-in-law. But this ritual is gradually
disappearing. For arranged marriages, Badis send their close relatives to the girl’s house to disclose the intention of marriage. If the girl’s parents are positive
about the marriage, the boy’s parents and the boy go to the girl’s house and see her. To solidify the deal, they do
pahelo tika rato achano, which means to give yellow
tika and to sacriice an animal. Whereas in the past a wedding took only a few days to occur, nowadays the girl’s parents set 1-12 years as the deadline
for wedding. After 1-12 years,
mangni betrothal is performed. In the betrothal, according to the wishes of the girl’s side, the boy’s side needs to take a bufalo,
khasi castrated he-goat, pig, and
kasar ball made of sugar and rice lour to the girl’s house. According to the demand from the girl’s side, a decision is made
on the amount of char money paid by the boy’s side to the girl’s side and the number of members in the wedding procession
janti. A relative serves as the priest for the wedding. hen a procession
janta from the boy’s side goes to the girl’s house. When they reach near the girl’s house, two
bhatkawa run ahead carrying
dudhelo to inform how many are coming in the procession and what they would eat. Only when the girl’s side invites them would the procession
go inside the girl’s house. Nowadays Damai musicians from the girl’s side
welcome the procession, but in the past Badis were not allowed to play music at their weddings. he girl’s father and some girls welcome the procession. he
members of the procession should give them money as gift. hen they begin to eat and drink.
he next day is the wedding day. On the girl’s side, the relative serving as the priest gives
tika and all family members wash the feet of the couple. Hair is collected in a
saal leaf and thrown away, the couple departs by giving dakshina, which is called bidai chad. In bidai chad, the boy’s side should provide the girl’s side with a bufalo,
he-goat, pig, laddu, etc. he couple then goes to the groom’s house. he groom’s
parents welcome the new couple to the house by giving them tika.
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Typically, the groom’s sister or someone younger than the couple will obstruct the main door. he couple is allowed to go inside only when the bride gives
some money. his ritual is called dhoka chhekai blocking the entrance. heir
own relative serving as the priest fulills the inal wedding ceremonies on a Wednesday or hursday. On the inal day of the wedding, the groom puts the
sindoor, carried in a banana leaf, on the bride’s hair. In this way the wedding ceremonies conclude.
3.8.4 Death
