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adat prescribes a formal visit of the husband's mother to her daughter-in-law. The former is accompanied on such occasions by about ten other women. This ceremony is called "bringing rice" (jaʾ mè bu or jaʾ ba bu) or where persons of wealth and position are spoken of, "bringing a great pot of rice" (jaʾ mè dangdang)[1]. Of humbler folk it is said that they "bring a naléh[2]." As a matter of fact well-to-do people take with them a large pot (kanèt) of boiled rice, another of goats'-flesh and a great tray (dalōng) of fruit, to the total value of about 25 dollars, or else they save themselves the trouble by giving "the dangdang uncooked" (dangdang meuntah)[3], i. e. the actual sum of money named above. Those of humbler rank confine their gift to a katèng[4] of cooked rice and a bowl of meat, or to bu kulah[5] and some additional dishes.
The mother-in-law remains for two or three nights under her daughter-in-law's roof, but it is only on the day of her arrival that she is entertained in the way we have described (peujamèë)[6]. At her departure she is presented with some tobacco or clothing material as a return gift.
A second visit of the same description and of similar duration is paid by the mother-in-law about a month after the mè bu, and is known as ba meulineum. On this occasion she brings with her sundry kinds of sweetmeats (peunajōh) and fruits.
Pentang rules.In Acheh, no less than in Java, the pregnant woman must pay particular regard to certain mysterious rules (pantang), carelessness in the observance of which is supposed to be attended with evil results both to herself and her child[7]. For instance, she must not sit at the top of the steps leading up to the house (baʾ ulèë reunyeun), lest her
- ↑ A pot (kanèt) of a very large size when used for cooking rice is called kanèt dangdang.
- ↑ Naléh is a measure (see p. 201 above) for raw rice whether husked or unhusked. Baskets (katéng) are manufactured of rattan or bili, to hold exactly a naléh. These are also sometimes used for carrying cooked rice.
- ↑ We thus find the expressions dangdang masaʾ and dangdang meuntah, on the same analogy as biaya masaʾ and meuntah (see pp. 325–26 above).
- ↑ See note 2 above.
- ↑ See as to this the note to p. 366, The name is taken from the manner in which the boiled rice is packed in leaves.
- ↑ See p. 320 above.
- ↑ Very similar superstitions prevail among the Malays of the Peninsula. In addition to those here mentioned, a pregnant woman must always carry a knife or other iron implement when she walks abroad, and must let no one walk behind her. It is also regarded as extremely dangerous to pass beneath the tree known as chermai or the pisang batu or banġgala. This reminds one of the superstitious objection English people have to walking under a ladder. (Translator).
