The image is finally given, together with some money, to a Brahman, who drops it into a well. The flowers which have been used to decorate the image are placed by the girls at the foot of a jak tree. Contrary to the custom of other Brahmans, Nambutiri girls are under no disgrace, should they attain puberty while unmarried. In the month of Mina. (10) Onam.--The great festival of Malabar, kept by everyone, high and low, with rejoicing. It is the time of general good-will, of games peculiar to the festival, and of distribution of new yellow cloths to relations and dependants. It is supposed to commemorate the descent of Maha Bali, or Mabali, to see his people happy. (11) Tiruvadira.--Fast and vigil in honour of Siva, observed by women only. In the month of Dhanu. (12) Vishu.--The solar new year's day. A very important festival in Malabar. It is the occasion for gifts, chiefly to superiors. The first thing seen by a Nambutiri on this day should be something auspicious. His fate during the year depends on whether the first object seen is auspicious, or the reverse. The following festivals are referred to by Mr. Subramani Aiyar:-- (1) Trikkatta or Jyeshta star.--In the month of Chingam. Food is cooked, and eaten before sunrise by all the married male members, as well as by every female member of a family. Though not of the previous day, the food goes by the name of Trikkatta pazhayatu, or the old food of the Trikkatta day. The import of this festival, when the specific ordinance of Sankara against food cooked before sunrise is contravened, is not known. (2) Makam or Magha star.--In the month of Kanni. On this day, the cows of the house are decorated with sandal paste and flowers, and given various kinds of sweetmeats. The ladies of the house take ten or twelve grains of paddy (rice), anoint them with oil, and, after bathing in turmeric-water, consecrate the grains by the recitation of certain hymns, and deposit them in the ara or safe room of the house. If there are in the house any female members born under the Makam star, the duty of performing the ceremony devolves on them in particular. This is really a harvest festival, and has the securing of food-grains in abundance (dhanyasamriddhi) for its temporal object. (3) All the days in the month of Thulam.--In this month, young unmarried girls bathe every day before 4 A.M., and worship Ganapathi (Vignesvara), the elephant god. (4) Gauri puja.--In the month of Vrischigam. This is done on any selected Monday in the month. The ceremony is known as ammiyum vilakkaum toduka, or touching the grinding-stone and lamp. The married women of the house clean the grinder and the grinding-stone, and place a bronze mirror by its side. They then proceed to worship Gauri, whose relation to Siva represents to