An Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon in the East Indies: Together with an Account of the Detaining in Captivity the Author and Divers other Englishmen Now Living There, and of the Author's Miraculous EscapeKnox, Robert
History
An Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon in the East Indies: Together with an Account of the Detaining in Captivity the Author and Divers other Englishmen Now Living There, and of the Author's Miraculous Escape
Knox, Robert
Sri Lanka -- Description and travel -- Early works to 1800; Sri Lanka -- Social life and customs
[How they mourn for the dead.] Their manner of mourning for the dead
is, that all the Women that are present do loose their hair, and let
it hang down, and with their two hands together behind their heads do
make an hideous noise, crying and roaring as loud as they can, much
praysing and extolling the Virtues of the deceased, tho there were
none in him: and lamenting their own woful condition to live without
him. Thus for three or four mornings they do rise early, and lament in
this manner, also on evenings. Mean while the men stand still and sigh.
[The nature of the Women.] These women are of a very strong couragious
spirit, taking nothing very much to heart, mourning more for fashion
than affection, never overwhelmed neither with grief or love. And
when their Husbands are dead, all their care is where to get others,
which they cannot long be without.
[How they Bury.] It may not be unacceptable to relate how they burn
their Dead. As for Persons of inferior Quality, they are interred in
some convenient places in the Woods, there being no set places for
Burial, carried thither by two or three of their Friends, and Buried
without any more ado. They lay them on their Backs, with their heads
to the West and their feet to the East, as we do. Then those People
go and wash; for they are unclean by handling the Dead.
[How they Burn.] But Persons of greater quality are burned, and
that with Ceremony. When they are dead they lay them out, and put a
Cloth over their Privy Parts, and then wash the Body, by taking half
a dozen Pitchers of water, and pouring upon it. Then they cover him
with a Linnen cloth, and so carry him forth to burning. This is when
they burn the Body speedily. But otherwise, they cut down a Tree that
may be proper for their purpose, and hollow it, like a Hog-trough,
and put the Body being Embowelled and Embalmed into it, filled up
all about with Pepper. And so let it lay in the house, until it be
the King's Command to carry it out to the burning. For that they
dare not do without the King's order, if the Person deceased be a
Courtier. Sometimes the King gives no order in a great while, it may
be not at all. Therefore in such cases, that the Body may not take
up house-room, or annoy them, they dig an hole in the floar of their
house, and put hollowed tree and all in and cover it. If afterwards
the King commands to burn the Body, they take it up again in obedience
to the King, otherwise there it lyes.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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