porou

special gift. According to ancient custom, a gift of very special meaning made by grandchildren to their grandparents, by nephews and nieces to their aunts and uncles, by sons and daughters-in-law to their parents-in-law, sometimes when they are still living, sometimes on the day of their death, in which case the gift is deposited on the corpse. This gift is always accompanied by the express declaration that it is meant as a "porou," and not a mere gift, and is a sign of gratitude, of union between giver and recipient, and a token of perpetual memory. Those who receive a "porou" do not keep it for themselves, but give it to close relatives, parents, spouses, sibling; a woman gives it to her husband or his close relatives, a man to his wife or her close relatives.