An Ethnography of the Parsees of India : 1886–1936

This volume explores Parsee culture and society derived through essays from the Journal of Anthropological Society of Bombay (1886 1936). Cover 1 Half Title 2 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Table of Contents 6 List of figures 9 List of tables 10 Contributors 11 Preface 12 Introduction 13 Part I Birth and initiation 24 Chapter 1 Birth customs and ceremonies of the Parsees 26 Chapter 2 Parsee life in Parsee songs: Cradle songs 34 Chapter 3 The baby language among the Parsees 49 Chapter 4 The initiation ceremonies and customs of the Parsees 51 Marriage 76 Chapter 5 Marriage customs among the Parsees and their comparison with similar customs of other nations 78 Chapter 6 Some Parsee marriage customs: How far are they borrowed from the Hindus? 111 Chapter 7 A few marriage songs of the Parsees at Nargol, Part I 116 Chapter 8 A few marriage songs of the Parsees at Nargol, Part II 123 Death 134 Chapter 9 On the funeral ceremonies of the Parsees, their origin and explanation 136 Chapter 10 Notes on the Towers of Silence in India 162 Chapter 11 The first-year funeral expenses of a Parsee of the last century (1763) 173 Chapter 12 A vahi or register of the dead of some of the Parsees of Broach and a Parsee martyr mentioned in it 186 Chapter 13 Another Parsee martyr of Broach 197 Part II 198 Chapter 14 Statistics of births, deaths, and marriages among the Parsees of Bombay during the last ten years (1881–1890) 200 Chapter 15 Statistics of births, deaths, and marriages among the Parsees of Bombay during the last ten years (1891–1900) 208 Chapter 16 A Parsee deed of partition more than 150 years old: A form of slavery referred to therein 217 Folklore 222 Chapter 17 A few Parsee riddles—I 224 Chapter 18 A few Parsee riddles—II 229 Chapter 19 Omens among the Parsees 242 Chapter 20 Charms or amulets for some diseases of the eye 246 Glossary 252 Author and subject index 255 Ethnography;,Parsees;,Birth;,Folklore;,Marriage;,epithalamiums;,amulets;,birth,ceremonies;,confinement;,customs;,baby,language;,Zoroaster Ethnography,Parsees,Birth,Folklore,Marriage,epithalamiums,amulets,birth ceremonies,confinement,customs,baby language,Zoroaster "This volume explores a wide spectrum of Parsee culture and society derived through essays from the Journal of Anthropological Society of Bombay (1886 - 1936). This journal, documents intensive scholarship on the Parsee community by eminent Antropologists, Indologists, Orientalogists, historians , linguists and administrators in the late 18th and early 19th century. Comprising 0.05% of India's total population today, the Parsee's (now spelled 'Parsis') have made significant contributions to modern India. Through contributions of Jivanji Jamshedji Modi, Bomanjee Byramjee Patell, Rustamji Munshi, eminent Parsee scholars, the essays in this book discuss the social and cultural frameworks which constitute various key phases in the Parsee life nearly a hundred years ago. They also focus on themes such as birth, childhood and initiation, marriage, and death. The volume also features works on Parsee folklore and oral literature. An important contribution on Parsi culture and living, this book will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of sociology, social anthropology, ethnography, cultural studies, history, and South Asia studies"-- Provided by publisher This volume explores a wide spectrum of Parsee culture and society derived through essays from the __Journal of Anthropological Society of Bombay__ (1886–1936). This journal documents intensive scholarship on the Parsee community by eminent anthropologists, Indologists, orientalogists, historians, linguists, and administrators in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Comprising 0.05% of India’s total population today, the Parsees (now spelled “Parsis”) have made significant contributions to modern India. Through contributions of Jivanji Jamshedji Modi, Bomanjee Byramjee Patell, and Rustamji Munshi, eminent Parsee scholars, the essays in this book discuss the social and cultural frameworks which constitute various key phases in the Parsee life nearly 100 years ago. They also focus on themes such as birth, childhood and initiation, marriage, and death. The volume also features works on Parsee folklore and oral literature. An important contribution to Parsi culture and living, this book will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of sociology, social anthropology, ethnography, cultural studies, history, and South Asia studies. This volume explores Parsee culture and society derived through essays from the Journal of Anthropological Society of Bombay (1886 - 1936). Through eesays by Jivanji Jamshedji Modi, Bomanjee Byramjee Patell, Rustamji Munshi, eminent Parsee scholars, it discusses the social and cultural frameworks in the Parsee life nearly a 100 years ago.