The Female Bridegroom: A Comparative Study of Life-Crisis Rituals in South India and Sri Lanka (Oxford Studies in Social and Cultural Anthropology)

Ceremonies marking birth, female puberty, marriage, and death are among the most important public events in the lives of many South Asian people. Anthony Good begins his comparative study by describing such ceremonies in Tirunelveli, South India where female puberty rites mimic weddings, and involve the "female bridegrooms" of his title. Every high-caste family aims to protect its caste status bu controlling ritually the sexual activity of its female members, and Dr. Good argues that the rituals he describes reflect localized modes of inheritance, in their regional context. He demonstrates how ideas about female sexuality are represented in worship and mythology and brings out the significance of the diverse ritual practices discussed in earlier parts of the book by placing them in the context of a single cultural framework.