Page 343
An.1686
The Ramdam. Abhorrence of Swine.
being fore with their Amputation, went straddling for a fortnight after.
They are not, as I said before, very curious, or strict in observing any days, or times of particular Devotions,except it be the Ramdam time, as we call it. The Ramdam time was then in August, as I take it, for it was shortly after our arrival here. In this time they fast all day, and about 7 a clock in the evening, they spend near an hour in Prayer. Towards the latter end of their Prayer, they loudly invoke their Prophet, for about a quarter of an hour, both old and young bawling out very strangely, as if they intended to fright him out of his sleepiness or neglect of them. After their Prayer is ended, they spend some time in feasting before they take their repose. Thus they do every day for a whole month at least; for sometimes 'tis 2 or 3 days long- er before the Ramdam ends: for it begins at the new Moon, and lasts till they see the next new Moon, which sometimes in thick hazy Weather is not till 3 or 4 days after she change, as it happen'd while I was at Achin, where they continued the Ramdam till the new Moons appearance. The next day after they have seen the new Moon, the Guns are all discharged about noon, and then the time ends.
A main part of their Religion consists in washing often, to keep themselves from being defiled; or after they are defiled to cleanse themselves again. They also take great care to keep themselves from being polluted, by tasting or touching any thing that is accounted unclean; therefore Swines flesh is very abominable to them; nay any one that hath ei- ther tasted of Swines flesh,or touched those Creatures, is not permitted to come into their Houses in many days after, and there is nothing will scare them more than a Swine. Yet there are wild Hogs in the Islands, and those so plentiful, that they will come