50: Fasting is not necessarily a part of civilized
religion alone. It is found in the Brahmanic and Hindu
cults, but it obtains also among the American Indians. Thus
the Dacotahs fast for two or three days at the worship of
sun and moon. Schoolcraft, _Histor. and Statist_., iii.
227.]

[Footnote 51: The last clause (meaning 'common historical
origin') were better omitted.]

[Footnote 52: Except the mystic syllable _[=O]m_, supposed
to represent the trinity (_[=O]m_ is _a, u, m_), though
probably it was originally only an exclamation.]

[Footnote 53: A small Vishnu festival in honor of Vishnu as
'man-lion' (one of his ten _avatars_) is celebrated on the
13th of March; but in Bengal in honor of the same god as a
cow-boy. On the 15th of March there is another minor
festival in Bengal, but it is to Civa, or rather to one of
his hosts, under the form of a water pot (that is to
preserve from disease).]

[Footnote 54: The bonfire is made of fences, door posts,
furniture, etc. Nothing once seized and devoted to the fire
may be reclaimed, but the owner may defend his property if
he can. Part of the horse-play at this time consists in
leaping over the fire, which is also ritualistic with same
of the hill-tribes.]

[Footnote 55: Compare the Nautch dances on R[=a]macandra's
birthday. Religious dances, generally indecent, are also a
prominent feature of the religions of the wild tribes (as
among American and African savages, Greeks, etc., etc.).]

[Footnote 56: The 'Easter bonnet' in Indic form.]

[Footnote 57: In sober contrast stands the yearly orthodox
Craddha celebration (August-September), though Brahmans join
in sectarian fetes.]

[Footnote 58: Wilson draws an elaborate parallel between the
Hol[=i] and the Lupercalia, etc. (Carnival). But the points
of contact are obvious. One of the customs of the Hol[=i]
celebration is an exact reproduction of April-Fool's day.
Making "Hol[=i] fools" is to send people on useless errands,
etc. (Festum Stultorum, at the Vernal Equinos, transferred
by the Church to the first of November, "Innocents' Day").]

[Footnote 59: Stevenson, JRAS. 1841, p. 239; Williams,
_loc. cit._; Wilkins, _Modern Hinduism_, ch. III.]

[Footnote 60: The daily service consists in dressing,
bathin