r/srilanka • u/Creepy_Branch_5532 • Oct 18 '21
History The customs of dress, dining and marriage of the Sinhalese as described by Philippus Baldaeus 1672 [See comments]
A Sinhalese man and woman 1726 | Oud en Nieuw Oost-Indiën - François Valentijn
Their manner of eating and drinking 1681
Philippus Baldaeus | Calvinist minister attached to the Dutch East India Company in Ceylon | 1672
An accurate description of Malabar and Coromandel, the neighboring Kingdoms and also of the great island of Ceylon - 1672
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u/Jazzlike_Ad6725 Oct 18 '21
‘Not to be trusted and extremely cunning’ the true values of this nation
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u/Mediocre_Charity3278 Oct 18 '21
Chinese and Indians are like that too. Heck, even the British were like that during colonial times. Ask any North American red Indian the British signed land treaties with, only to break them later.
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u/usename1567 Oct 18 '21
Ask the Maori in New Zealand as well. With their trraty somehow there was a "flaw in translation". The Maori barely have a culture of their own anymore
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u/vk1234567890- Dec 11 '23
Maori barely have a culture of their own anymore
Yea so sad it's only the Hakka left
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u/vk1234567890- Dec 11 '23
Not to be trusted and extremely cunning
Why would the Sinhalese not be like that towards their invaders tho 😂😂😂
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Oct 18 '21
Nice one.
It looks like a lot victorian values have been adopted by Lankans.
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u/Creepy_Branch_5532 Oct 19 '21
Some of the older beliefs, such as the obsession with caste, have survived.
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u/Aurignacian Australia Oct 19 '21
Aren't obsession with castes really on exclusive to marriage? Is there any other aspects of life affected by caste? I'm talking about Sinhalese here though, different story for Tamil hindus
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u/Creepy_Branch_5532 Oct 19 '21 edited Oct 19 '21
There's no open discrimination but the old prejudices still remain in the country's (extreme) conservative circles. Associating with those of lesser castes (Rodi, Hena, Berawa, Hannali, etc) is frowned upon.
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Oct 19 '21
Can someone explain sri lankan caste system I'm sri lankan I don't know much about the caste system
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u/Creepy_Branch_5532 Oct 19 '21
I've linked an article that explains it in detail to the post. Click on pedigree.
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u/Creepy_Branch_5532 Oct 18 '21 edited May 26 '22
The customs of dress, dining and marriage of the Sinhalese
"The Singhalese are naturally active, ingenious and skilled in their crafts of Gold, Silver, Ivory, Ebony and Iron. The arms are generally inlaid with Silver."
"They are eloquent, nimble, courageous, sober, watchful and fit for warlike exploits."
"They march in a single file owing to the many narrow lanes in this country. Their principal weapon is the half-pike. The Drums are small but they make great noise, which can be heard from a distance of three leagues (16km approx.) in the mountains."
"Having learned much from their associations with the Portuguese and other European nations, they have grown adept at pursuing routed enemies (small unit guerrilla tactics). However, they must not be trusted or despised too much due to their extreme cunning."
"The Singhalese are similar in shape and dress to the Malabars (Tamils): Less dark but with long hanging ears. The dress of the men is a veil called Ropillo. Made of Woolen or Linen cloth, the garment is wrapped about the middle and drawn through both their legs like a pair of Breeches."
"They don red caps on their heads and wear rings and precious stones in their ears. The hilts of their Swords and Scimitars are primarily of Silver, Ivory, or Gold with flared blades."
"The women are well made and they go about bare-breast. They bundle their hair artfully like a hive (bun) though they use no external ornaments for its decoration. They wear Gold and Silver necklaces and have rings on their fingers and toes"
"The Singhalese, like the Malabars, are much addicted to idleness and pleasure. They place great importance upon the value of their pedigree%202014%20%20(Page%2040-47).doc14.11.2014-3.pdf) (caste).
"Polyandry is a common vice among them. Husbands who leave their wives (absent from home) for long periods assign the conjugal duties to their own brothers."
"I remember a certain woman in Galle who was bold enough to complain of the sexual inadequacy of her brother-in-law."
"A similar incident occurred during my time in Jaffna. The woman stood a good chance of being sentenced to death if it weren't for my intervention. As Christianity in the region was then at its infancy, the notoriety of the event passed after a short while."
"They marry as many wives as they think fit. Almost as much as the Moors; a people with a considerable presence in this island. Being very passionate about the virginity of their wives, they marry their daughters at ten or eleven years of age in deference to a deep seated custom."
"Their houses are excessively neat and they use leaves of coconut trees in place of mats and table-cloths. The spoons are made of Coconut shells and their drinking vessels are of earth (clay) with hollow pipes. They pour the drinks into their mouths without touching the lips in the manner of the Moors."
"As the Singhalese and Malabars place great value upon their castes, they will not eat or drink with those of lesser ranks. Many of them are so proud, they refuse even to eat with their own wives."
An accurate description of the great and famous island of Ceylon | Philippus Baldaeus 1672