Birtalan Ágnes: Kalmyk Folklore and Folk Culture in the Mid-19th Century: Philological Studies on the Basis of Gábor Bálint of Szentkatolna’s Kalmyk Texts.

ETHNOGRAPHICA CALMYCICA

For the ceremony her mörgülx the new daughter-in-law has to bring a felt rug, a pot of tea, a plate of pastry and a ceremonial xadg called ölgc (it is a usual white xadg with a red piece of silk, sewn on it) all of those things will be put before the Buddha in the parents-in-law's yurt. During the ceremony mutton will be served to the guests by the parents of the bridegroom. A special""

2 person from the bridegroom's side will be asked to conduct the ceremony. This person asks the daughter-in-law first: "Did you bow before the Buddha?" while the elder daughters-in-law make the bride make kowtow and say: "She bowed before him." Then a person says a blessing: "Buddhas protected you granting hundred thousand years on your back, granting grey hair on your head, be a meritorious child!" - Then [they] make the bride grasp an anklebone asking "Did you bow before the anklebone that is like the yellow Sun?" and when the bride answers "1 bowed before him." Then a blessing will be told: "Be like the yellow Sun of morning, spread like the reddish-yellow flower, live under the shine of yellow Sun, be as strong as you grasp [now] the anklebone, have numerous relatives, live in peace and calmness!" - After the next question "Did you bow before the protector spirit of the parents?"

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4 ' and the answer "I bowed before him." follows the next blessing: "Protector spirit of gracious parents protected you granting hundred thousand years on your back, granting grey hair on your head, be a meritorious child!" - After putting some food on the right flap of her garment the new daughter-in-law will be introduced - to the dog. It means that the bride became a member of the family. Then the new daughter-in-law bows before all the relatives one after the other and at last her father-in-law giving her a name presenting her five kinds of livestock: "Zee! Be your bowed head eternal, have silver and gold, live eternal, being lucky on the black ground, on the blue grass! Live long because you bowed before me! You will be lucky as you bowed before Buddha! Because you bowed before the law you will be stronger than iron! Have seat, when you sit down, have settlement, when you settle down, settle down on the settlement of heroic father, sit down on the seat of meritous mother. Shine like offering [statues], grow in bushes like crop! Let grandchildren step 11,4

2 For the role of this person cf. Bálint's Ninth tale. 104

5 Cf. Bálint's text. 143