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THE PEOPLE
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OMENS
Hindus almost of all castes believe in omens and think that
the result of every undertaking is foreshadowed by certain signs and hints. The sight of corpse or of flesh is a lucky omen, except with Lads and Sonars. To Gosavis and Bairagis, salt, earth and the potter are inauspicious, but not to other castes: while a Brahman with headcloth on his head and his caste-marks painted brings good luck, but if he should be encountered bare-headed, misfortune is the result. A married woman is lucky to meet; a widow unlucky. A pot full of water is a good thing to see; an empty pot is not so. If a man has a twitching in the right eye the omen is good, but not so if it occurs in his left eye: while with the woman the case is reversed. A sweeper bearing nightsoil is a lucky man to meet; a Teli with an oil pot is unlucky. Should a spider cross one's hand it is a good omen, but a house lizard falling on one's body is bad. A single sneeze when a person is speaking denotes bad luck to him, but an additional sneeze will change it. A deer, blue jay, peacock or ichneumon on the left hand side are all harbingers of good as also a mongoose, a cow with a calf, and an ox, but woe to the man whose path is crossed by a crow, or a cat, or who hears a dog howling, or a owl hooting. A wild parrot perching on the head or shoulder, the sound of joyful music, dreaming a good dream, or meeting a corpse borne by four men are all omens of good import; while a lamp falling, a man's pagri or a woman's toe ring coming off, or a ring dove entering a house are events fraught with evil consequences. If a child is born with the umbilical cord round its neck like a halter, it is believed that he ended his former life as a prisoner in some jail.
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