ABSTRACT
The sacrifices are laid by the amah before the main altar, and the mother takes her stand facing it with her son in her arms. She presents him by raising her hands to the level of her chin, and then bowing three times till the infant is just above the knee. This dedication is repeated, kneeling. The mother-in-law hands over the girl, who is presented in like fashion. No priest is involved in the ceremony, but the fortuneteller, who combines the parts, lays out his paraphernalia on a table behind the altar which carries the five vessels, in hopes of patronage. In this case he is disappointed for the service ends with an ear-splitting detonation of a bunch of firecrackers, set off by the amah in the central court. These explosions are supposed to clear the way of the returning procession from any lurking demons.
