LESSON - 1

A06141 Folklore - Rituals and faiths

Introducing the folklore traditions and conventions, this lesson describes various rituals adopted by the rural folks from ancient times. Their faiths and beliefs that are in vogue are focussed. Tamil culture is entrenched in these rituals and faiths as evidenced by the places where they occur.

Seven central units of this lesson deal with the folklore traditions, the rituals, life-style rituals, fertility rites, magic rituals and folklore faiths.

Folklore traditions comprise rituals, faiths, festivals and habitual behaviours. Rituals refer to people’s activity performed under pre-defined guidelines considering their holiness. In the primitive society, rituals and human life were mutually reflective. Different wishes are considered for performing rituals. Rituals are multi - faceted. Their special aspect is the specified procedure for each ritual; another aspect is the joint effects of the people concerned, both performers and participants. A variety of rituals has been registered in literature.

Life cycle rituals are concerned with birth, puberty, marriage and death. Placing ghee food on the newborn baby’s tongue, putting it in the cradle and ear-boring are concerned with birth. Girls attaining maturity will be blessed by married women using turmeric solution and are given a mock house built of green coconut palm leaves. Marriage has rituals like betrothal, erecting of the wedding pole, tying the holy thread around the bride’s neck and offering bangles to the pregnant. Funeral rites is an important ritual concerning death.

Faiths are expressions of human minds. They can be classified as beliefs, faiths and superstitions. Folklore faiths are concerned with the day, the omen, the dream, and astrology. Favourable or unfavorable day, good or bad omen, dreams of day time and of different parts of the night and their effects on real life, and classification of birth stars as having one or other effects on the life of those born under them are some of the important folklore faiths.

On learning this lesson you will realize the cultural tenets of the ancient Tamils that are driven by faiths and beliefs, traditions and conventions.

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