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Astrology
Divination by astrology was, however, the most common method of forecasting the future. The native practitioners possessed long tables of lucky and unlucky periods and reasons.
These were mostly translations from Indian and Arabic sources. The oldest known of these systems of propitious and unpropitious seasons was known as Katika Lima, or the Five Times.
Under it the day was divided into five parts, and five days formed a cycle. To each division was given a name as follows: Maswara, Kala, S’ri, Brahma, Bisnu (Vishnu), names of Hindu deities, the last name in the series for the first day being the first in that of the second day, and so on until the five days are exhausted. Each of these had a color, and according to the color first seen or noticed on such and such a day would it be fortunate to ask a boon of a certain god.
A variation of this system, known as the ‘‘Five Moments,’’ was similar in origin, but possessed a Muslim nomenclature.
Still another scheme, Katika Tujoh, was based on the seven heavenly bodies, dividing each day into seven parts, each of which was distinguished by the Arabic name for the sun, moon, and principal planets.
The astrology proper of the Malays is purely Arabic in origin, but a system of Hindu invocation was in vogue by which the lunar month was divided into parts called Rejang, which resembles the Nacshatras or lunar houses of the Hindus. Each division
had its symbol, usually an animal. Each day was propitious for something, and the whole system was committed to verse for mnemonic purposes.
Divination by astrology was, however, the most common method of forecasting the future. The native practitioners possessed long tables of lucky and unlucky periods and reasons.
These were mostly translations from Indian and Arabic sources. The oldest known of these systems of propitious and unpropitious seasons was known as Katika Lima, or the Five Times.
Under it the day was divided into five parts, and five days formed a cycle. To each division was given a name as follows: Maswara, Kala, S’ri, Brahma, Bisnu (Vishnu), names of Hindu deities, the last name in the series for the first day being the first in that of the second day, and so on until the five days are exhausted. Each of these had a color, and according to the color first seen or noticed on such and such a day would it be fortunate to ask a boon of a certain god.
A variation of this system, known as the ‘‘Five Moments,’’ was similar in origin, but possessed a Muslim nomenclature.
Still another scheme, Katika Tujoh, was based on the seven heavenly bodies, dividing each day into seven parts, each of which was distinguished by the Arabic name for the sun, moon, and principal planets.
The astrology proper of the Malays is purely Arabic in origin, but a system of Hindu invocation was in vogue by which the lunar month was divided into parts called Rejang, which resembles the Nacshatras or lunar houses of the Hindus. Each division
had its symbol, usually an animal. Each day was propitious for something, and the whole system was committed to verse for mnemonic purposes.
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