III. The third festival is celebrated merely by females, at the time when the moon is in the constellation _Tiruvàdira_, which always happens in the sixth lunar month. The origin of this festival is thus related in the Indian mythology:--_Shiva_, that is, _the good_, (a sacred name given to the solar deity,) once burnt the god _Ramadèva_, (the Cupid of the Indians,) and deprived him of life. The death of this beautiful boy made a deep impression of grief on the heart of the goddess _Parvadi_, the lunar deity, or wife of _Shiva_. She requested, therefore, in the most earnest manner, that her husband would restore him to life; which he at length did. In remembrance of this remarkable event, the principal Indian women subject themselves to strict fasting; and at the same time offer to _Parvadi_ milk, fruit, rice, flowers, and bananas, to give her to understand that they entertain a grateful remembrance of her intercession, by which _Ramadèva_ was again restored to life. On this day the Indian women perform a peculiar kind of dance called _Tiruvàdiraattam_. Many of them also are accustomed to amuse themselves in a swing; and this practice seems to have a particular relation to the divine worship of the sun and the moon. The elements which were animated by these two planets are: _Aghni_[200], fire; _Bhu_, or _Bhumi_, the earth; _Gela_, water; _Vayu_, air; and _Agàsha_, the æther.--Some of the Pagans form such grovelling ideas of the Deity, that they consider the earth as his body, the air as his skin, water as his tongue, fire as his eyes, and the æther as his ears[201]. IV. The fourth grand festival, celebrated in _Maleyàla_, is called _Onam_, and happens always in the month of September, on the day of new moon.--About the 10th of September the rain ceases in Malabar. All nature seems then as if renovated: the flowers again shoot up, and the trees bloom: in a word, this season is the same as that which the Europeans call spring. This festival seems, therefore, to have been instituted for the purpose of soliciting from the gods a happy and fruitful year. It continues eight days, and during that time the Indians are accustomed to adorn their houses with flowers, and to daub them over with cow’s dung; because the cow, as already observed, is a sacred animal dedicated to the goddess _Lakshmi_, the Ceres of the Indians. On this occasion they also put on new clothes, throw aside all their old earthen ware, and supply its place by new. The men, particularly those who are young, form themselves into two parties, and shoot at each other with arrows. These arrows are blunted, but exceedingly strong; and are discharged with such force, that a considerable number are generally wounded on both sides. These games have a great likeness to the _Cerealia_ and _Juvenalia_ of the ancient Greeks and Romans.