identical; the only difference being that in Selangor the woman is placed in the
doorway (in the moonlight as far as possible), and is furnished with the basket-
work stand of a cooking pot, as well as a wooden rice-spoon, the former as a trap
to catch any unwary demon who may be so foolish as to put his head “into the
noose,” and the latter as a weapon of offence, it being supposed that “the rattan
binding of the spoon (which must, of course, be of the orthodox Malay pattern)
will unwind itself and entangle the assailant” in the case of any real danger.
Finally, the Bidan must be present to “massage” the woman, and repeat the
necessary charms.
From the following passage it would appear that the corresponding Pahang
custom does not materially differ from that of Perak and Selangor:—
“But during the period that the Moon’s fate hung in the balance, Sĕlĕma has
suffered many things. She has been seated motionless in the fireplace under the
tray-like shelf, which hangs from the low rafters, trembling with terror of—she
knows not what. The little basket-work stand, on which the hot rice-pot is wont
to rest, is worn on her head as a cap, and in her girdle the long wooden rice-
spoon is stuck dagger-wise. Neither she nor Umat know why these things are
done, but they never dream of questioning their necessity. It is the custom. The
men of olden days have decreed that women with child should do these things
when the Moon is in trouble, and the consequences of neglect are too terrible to
be risked; so Sĕlĕma and Umat act according to their simple faith.”^36