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The non-fulfilment of a vow is regarded as apt to be attended by disastrous consequences. For instance if a child suffers from persistent ulcers on its head, ears or eyes, or is slow in recovering from an illness, or suffers for an unusual length of time from the effects of circumcision, people say: "That child has a bimaran"[1], which means either that a vow has been made in its behalf and remains unfulfilled, or that one of those feasts or ceremonies which are generally the subjects of vows should be held for its benefit.
In this last case recourse is had to certain mysterious tests in order to ascertain what should be done. For instance the child is watched in its sleep and asked what it is that it really needs. The names of the usual ceremonies etc. are slowly repeated one after another, and it is assumed that the one desired is that at the mention of which the sleeping infant seems most at rest.[2] Sometimes the same method is resorted to in order to ascertain the nature of an unfulfilled vow. It may happen, for instance, that the child's mother has died, and the wise man or woman who is consulted in regard to the illness of the babe may say that there seems to be bimaran in the case, and that probably the mother had made a vow but had not communicated it to others. Under such circumstances nothing seems left but to try and discover the terms of the vow by the means of divination described above.
The most usual kinds of bimaran are the procession to the tomb with geundrangs which we have so often referred to, or the presentation to the child of a peculiar garment of many colours[3] (ija planggi) which now-a-days at least is not worn except in case of vows or bimaran[4].
We shall here enumerate some of the vows most commonly made in Acheh, especially by parents in behalf of their sick children. Two of them we have already noticed, the vows to celebrate with geundrang music or with a Rapaʾi performance the first occurrence of importance
- ↑ Aneuʾ nyan kadang na bimaran.
- ↑ The idea is that the thing in question is desired by a jén (jinn) or other supernatural being which afflicts the child with sickness.
- ↑ There is a specimen in the museum of the Batavian Society.
- ↑ When a woman's hair falls out this also is thought to be bimaran; she is then supplied with a golden hair ornament, called ulèë cheumara, consisting of an oblong gold plate on the underside of which is fixed a chain to which is attached a hook to fasten it to the hair. The woman places it in her back hair, but conceals the golden plate, as it is not the custom for grown up women to wear such ornaments. The idea is that the demands of the spirit which caused disease in the hair, or of the hair itself, are thus satisfied.
