The Litchfield County post., 1826-12-26

wishes to devote himself to God. He is then
 presented with cope, by the priest, and at tne eXplrauon of some period of probation,he
 IS ordained, and presented by the bishop with the SacerdOtal vestments. Priests are ordain- ed as in the Western Church,b the ''imposi- ton ofhands.''
 FGsting.-Like all the Orientals, the Ar menians attribute great importance to fasting. Among people so comparatively moderate and simple in their diet, restraints imposed on their apPetites cannot be felt.in the same de- gree as by nations who are less temperate |; but they are actually so severe, and so rigidly observed, as to evince an extraordinary sin- l cerity and self fdenial.. Many commence the fast by, sustaining three or four daysfro all kinds of food, and then, during its continu- ance, they eat nothing till three o'clock in the day, in imitation of Cornelius, who lasted till that hour. When they do eat, they are not allowed the food that is permitted by other ! churches. They must not eat fish with blood, which is permitted in the Latin Churches :. nor fish with shells, which is permitted in the Greek. They are restricted to bread and oil; ] and because olive oil is too nourishing and too great luxury, they use that which is expres- sed from grain called Sousum, of taste and odour exceedingly revolting In this way they observe certain periods before Christmas and | other festivals, besides every Wednesday and Friday; so that the whole year.is success sion of Lents, with short intervals, during which they maintain, not nominal, but ri gid, uncompromising abstinence. Among the food from which they abstain altogether, is the flesh of hare, which no call of appe- tite or scarcity of food will induce some of them to touch. They do not allege for it any prejudice founded on the Levitical law which induces some worthy people among ourselves to abstain from swine's flesh; but they assign physical causes. They assert that hare has certain bodily habits that too nearly resemble the human; and, moreover, that it is of a melancholy temperament, to which they l themselves have too great disposition, and l which the flesh of this animal would have tendency to increase.
 Baptism.-They hold the tenet of infant baptism, but insist on the necessity of total immersion of the body. The priest, there fore, takes the child by the hands and feet,and plunges him three times in the water and so necessary to the spiritual effect do they hold the washing of the ,chole body, that if any part remain unwetted, they raise the waterin their hand, and so purify the unwashed limb. The ceremony of chrsm, or annOinting the infant with oil, takes place after baptism.- The forehead, eyes, ears, stomach, palms of the hands, and soles of the feet, are touched
 
 the Eucharist is touched to the lips.
 IRe Encharist.-The Eucharist, or, as they call it, "Surp usium," is administered to a. dults on Sundays and festivals, in a manner different from all Christian churches. They use unleavened bread, orawafer, which they steep in the wine, from whence the priest takes it with his fingers, and distributes 1t in- discriminatory to the communicants. There is generally, beside the priest, boy who as- sists; to him he presents his fingers, after he has given the clements, and he devoutly licks off whatever has adhered to them. The Ar menians, to certain extent, believe in the doctrine of Transubstantiation on this occa- sion, and take literally the expression of " this is my body" They further imagine that these elements, converted into the real presence, re- undigested, during which time they never spit, nor suffer dog, or any other impure thlng, to touch their mouths
 Charlottesville cemeteries ofthe peo- pie of the East are not, as with us, small, and scattered in detached places through their cities; but there are large common | receptacles for the dead outside their towns. In the vicinity of Constantinople, each nation has it's own. and the Turks, Jews, Greeks, and Armenians, form im- | menSC CLlGS OI Ltlc uCdus Il Hat OJ tHc Armcnians occupies space eff near hun- dred acres, on hill that overlooks the Bosphorus. The Turks, on the death of friend, plant young cypress over his grave; their burying- ground, therefore, consists of extensive groves of these trees, which they reserve exclusively to them- selves. The Armenians generally plant on such occasions tree, which yields resinous gum of strong aromatic odour, l which fills the air, and corrects the exha- lations from the graves. They grow to a large size, and form very picturesque ob. iects for landscape. Their cemetery on the Bosphorns is covered with these trees, and from it's elevated situation, the view it commands, and the view it presents, is perhaps the most interesting grove in the world. Here whole Armenian families,o two or three generations together, are con stantly seen sitting round the tombs, and holding visionary communications with their departed friends. According to their belief, the souls of the dead pass into a place called Gayank, which is not pur- gatory, for they suffer neither pain nor pleasure, but retain perfect consciousness of the past. From this state they may be delivered by the aims and prayers of the living, which the pious Armenians give literally for their friends. Easter Monday