Malay Magic: Being an introduction to the folklore and popular religion of the Malay PeninsulaSkeat, Walter William
Religion
Malay Magic: Being an introduction to the folklore and popular religion of the Malay Peninsula
Skeat, Walter William
Magic -- Malay Peninsula; Malays (Asian people) -- Folklore; Malays (Asian people) -- Social life and customs
"The light of four Suns, five Moons,
And the seven Stars be visible in my eye.
The brightness of a shooting star be upon my chin,
And that of the full moon be upon my brows.
May my lips be like unto a string of ants,
My teeth like to a herd of elephants,
My tongue like a breaking wave,
My voice like the voice of the Prophet David,
My countenance like the countenance of the Prophet Joseph,
My brightness like the brightness of the Prophet Muhammad,
By virtue of my using this charm that was coeval with my birth,
And by grace of 'There is no god but God,'" etc.
When personal attractions begin to wane with the lapse of years,
invocations are resorted to for the purpose of restoring the
petitioner's lost youth. In one of the invocations referred to (which
is said to have been used by the Princess of Mount Ophir, Tuan Putri
Gunong Ledang, to secure perpetual youth), the petitioner boasts that
he (or she) was "born under the Inverted Banyan Tree," and claims the
granting of the boon applied for "by virtue of the use of the "Black
Lenggundi Bush," which when it has died, returns to life again,"
[602] the idea being, no doubt, that a judicious use of black magic
will enable the petitioner to "live backwards."
The third class of invocations, for rendering the person formidable,
belong rather to the chapter on war, under which heading they will
be included.
5. BETROTHAL
Betrothal is called tunangan or pinangan. When the parents of a
marriageable youth perceive a suitable "match" for their son, they
send a messenger to her parents to ask if she has yet been "bespoken"
(kalau ada orang sebut). If the reply is satisfactory, the messenger
is again despatched to intimate the desire of the youth's parents to
"bespeak" the hand of the favoured individual for his son, and to
arrange a day for a meeting. These preliminaries are accompanied by
the usual polite self-depreciation on both sides. Thus, the girl's
father begins by saying, "You wish to bespeak the hand of my daughter,
who knows neither how to cook nor how to sew" (yang ta'tahu masak,
ta'tahu menjait). But the custom is not carried to such extremes as
it is in China. [603]
The girl's parents next call four or five witnesses (saksi) of either
sex to "witness" the betrothal, and after preparing a meal (nasi dan
kueh) for their expected guests, await the arrival of the youth's
"Representatives," the youth himself remaining at home. One of the
party carries a betel-leaf tray furnished with the usual betel-chewing
appliances, together with half a bhara of dollars ($11) according
to the stricter custom; although (failing the dollars), a ring or
bracelet, or other jewellery of that value, may be substituted.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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