ESSAY ON THE SACRED FIRE

white, they would place a miter upon their heads, and a veil of delicate fabric before their mouths, so that even their breath would not defile the Sacred Fire The author refers to the padam, a ritual mouth-covering used by Zoroastrian priests to maintain purity.. They approached the altar with a religious air, read several prayers, and at the end of the ceremony, threw a branch of some sacred tree into the brazier. The people, during this time, humbled themselves before their Creator, thanked him, and asked him for the graces they needed. As soon as the service was finished, everyone withdrew in silence; neither tumult nor disorder was seen. Before the assembly dispersed, the Mage Mage: a priest of ancient Persia (Zoroastrianism) did not fail to warn them that it was not to the flame they perceived that they had just rendered their homage, but to the invisible Being to whom alone it was due. In the sacrifices, care was taken to remove all foreign bodies from the sacred brazier; the King and the principal Satraps Satraps: provincial governors in the ancient Persian Empire made it a duty to contribute to its maintenance; on certain days of the year, they themselves threw precious oils and aromatics into it, and these ceremonies were called the Feast of Fire original: "Epule Ignis," likely a Latinization of ritual offerings to the fire..

These People formerly celebrated, as the Parsis The Zoroastrian community that migrated to India to escape persecution. do today, six festivals in the year, in memory of the six seasons they claim that God employed in the creation of the world. This cosmogonic opinion is close to that of the Chaldeans Ancient inhabitants of Mesopotamia known for their astronomy and wisdom., and differs from ours only by the length of time. At the end of each festival, they fast for five days, because God,

AND ON THE VESTALS.

according to them, rested for that amount of time at the end of each season.

Among the customs they still observe, here are some that are very ancient. When a child is just born, he is carried into the Pyreum Pyreum: a Fire Temple (from the Greek 'pyr' for fire); the Mage, to whom he is presented, gives him a name that the parents have usually chosen; he then pours water into the bark of a tree, makes him drink a few drops, while beseeching Heaven to purify him of the stains communicated to him by his father and mother. This species of interior Baptism is expressly recommended.

At the age of seven, the child is raised by the Magi, who teach him his religion; when they find him sufficiently instructed, they permit him to pray for the first time before the Sacred Fire; he is not admitted without some ceremonies, undoubtedly mysterious, which show him its importance. In this initiation, the Magi give him a little water to drink, and make him chew a laurel leaf.

The opinion of the Persians on the life to come, on mercy, and on divine goodness, was very healthy and very wise. As soon as one of them approached his final moments, a Mage was called; he leaned toward the ear of the dying man, and pronounced in a low voice, but with fervor, this touching prayer which deserves to be recorded: "Eternal and almighty Being, Creator and Preserver! You have commanded us to..."