maritime activities economy and social customs of the muslims of ...

at present. In many families among the Marakkayars, the groom ties a chain in the
neck of the bride. This is another ceremony equal to thali tying by the bridegroom
himself. This practice is in vogue even to this day among Marakkayars, though not
sanctioned in Islamic culture.
Among the Marakkayars after the marriage the wife stays with her parents
in the house given by her parents, but all of them eat together. It may be a separate
house or a portion of the house of her parents. Gift of a house to the bride is not
met in any other part of India or in Arab countries, and also among other sects and
subsects of Coromandel Muslims. The husband visits her and takes food and pays
a sum to meet the expenses, a sort of paying guest husband and not as a veettu
mappillai ( the groom who stays permanently in father in law's house leavlng their
parents) of the Hindu household.
This practice of the wife living with her parents is closely allied to the
matrilocal residence found among the Arabs of the pre Islamic times. Most
probably this practice originated from the circumstances of the Arab husband
being away for a long period on business in far off lands. The practice of house gift
came to be followed in the Coromandel Muslim Marakkayar society from the fact
that the early Arab settlers here had no house of their own when they came here
as traders. Naturally they had to stay in the house of the wives after marriage.
Whenever they ventured into sea for trade opportunities, for months together they
left the wives in the safe custody of their parents. Thus perhaps in the Marakkayar
society arose the practice of bride remaining with her parents and the husband
visiting her at her parent's house. The house gift and matrilocal re~idence are
simply the continuation of the custom which had some utility and necessity when
the sea faring husbands were away from their families for a long duration of time.
When Islam spread in the west coast, first, the practice of matrilocal residence of
the Malayalam society coincided with that of the Arabian customs and hence was
well received and then this custom entered the Coromandel Muslim society.
The matrilocal residence became a social necessity in the interest of the two
families. It does not create any impact in the economic activities. This custom also
does not create any Joint venture. Both the families run their business with their
own interest. It is very often said that in this type of residence, tho husband
becomes henpecked.
The Marakkayar family system is very peculiar in this respect. It is a
combination of joint and independent family system. It is joint in the sense that
they include married daughters and their children and that brothers and sisters are