impart life and strength to
the god, of which he stood in need, just as he needed food to nourish
him. Among the Hindus it is a common practice to take a child to some
well-known temple to have its hair cut for the first time, and to offer
the clippings of hair to the deity. If they cannot go to the temple
to have the hair cut they have it cut at home, and either preserve the
whole hair or a lock of it, until an opportunity occurs to offer it at
the temple. In some castes a Brahman is invited at the first cutting of
a child's hair, and he repeats texts and blesses the child; the first
lock of hair is then cut by the child's maternal uncle, and its head
is shaved by the barber. A child's hair is cut in the first, third or
fifth year after birth, but not in the second or fourth year. Among
the Muhammadans when a child's hair is cut for the first time, or at
least on one occasion in its life, the hair should be weighed against
silver or gold and the amount distributed in charity. In these cases
also it would appear that the hair as a valuable part of the child
is offered to the god to obtain his protection for the life of the
child. If a woman has no child and desires one, or if she has had
children and lost them, she will vow her next child's hair to some
god or temple. A small patch known as _chench_ is then left unshorn
on the child's head until it can be taken to the temple.

15. Keeping hair unshorn during a vow

It was also the custom to keep the hair unshorn during the performance
of a vow. "While his vow lasted a Nazarite might not have his hair cut:
'All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come
upon his head.' [326] The Egyptians on a journey kept their hair
uncut till they returned home. [327] Among the Chatti tribe of the
ancient Germans the young warriors never clipped their hair or their
beard till they had slain an enemy. Six thousand Saxons once swore
that they would not clip their hair nor shave their beards until
they had taken vengeance on their enemies." [328] Similarly, Hindu
religious mendicants keep their hair long while they are journeying
on a pilgrimage, and when they arrive at the temple which is their
goal they shave it all off and offer it to the god. In this case, as
the hair is vowed as an offering, it clearly cannot be cut during the
performance of the vow, but must be preserved intact. When the task
to be accomplished for the fulfilment of a vow is a journey or