is highly prized by women as the symbol of their married state. A widow is expected to wear a black sari for the remainder of her life, and is not allowed to wear ornaments. The bridegroom's dress in early times consisted of a short loincloth of hand-woven cloth (Dhoti), a shawl to cover his shoulders, and a red handkerchief on the head (Leis). Later, his dress consisted of a white loincloth with a red and gold hem (Todop), a shirt with gold buttons and a coat (Kutanv), a shawl on the shoulders, and a towel (Urmal) on the head. The bridegroom wore a Chakrasar (neck chain) around his neck. He wore a pair of sandals or at least a pair of socks. At present, most Mangalorean Catholic couples opt for a White wedding, where the bridegroom wears a suit, while the bride wears a white wedding gown. The traditional style of wedding is becoming exceedingly rare. Historical society Mangalorean Catholics retained the same caste system as their ancestors in Goa. They were mainly divided into four castes: Bamonns, Charodis, Sudirs, and Gaudis. The biggest group were the Bamonns, who were converts from the priestly Brahmin class. All Brahmin sub-castes such as the Goud Saraswat Brahmins, Padyes, and Daivadnyas, especially the goldsmiths and a few merchants, were lumped into the Christian caste of Bamonn. The descendants of Goud Saraswat converts comprised the majority of this caste. The Bamonns were further divided into other castes according to rank. In Mangalore, they were sub-divided into Sirudhegars (the highest class), Alhdhengars, Cutdhnangars, Dhivodegars, Nathnolegars, Sashragars, Puruvargars, and Maidhegars. These names are taken from the villages to which they once belonged. This group constituted the landed gentry. In accordance with traditional Hindu law that allowed a Brahmin to practice any occupation except cultivation, the Bamonns refrained from cultivating their lands, and leased them to tenants. The Charodis, the second-largest group, were converts from the Kshatriya (warrior class) and Vaishya (merchant class) castes. They were generally engaged in trade and commercial vocations. The artisan converts formed the third-biggest group and were known as Sudirs (the Konkani word for Shudras, which were the labour class). They were workers and agricultural labourers engaged in service professions. The converts from the fisher caste residing around Ullal, Kuloor, and other places around the seacoast were called Gaudis, and formed the fourth group. They cultivated the lands of the Bamonns and