The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1886-11-13
RELIGION OF PERU.
II Resembles tbs Hsbrew-GastOns and
Ceremonies.
From the indianapolis NeNs.l

ktfoMl the lhuiahapolls NeNs.I
In my former paper on the re-
ligion of the ancient Peruvians |
referred briefly to the festival Cit.
ma Raymi, or the feast of cleansing.
Is it not possible the idea of that
feast, ifnot some of its ceremo.
nies, was derived from the an.
cient Hebrewsi In fact, there is
traceable a very marked resem-
blance. 1t rather combines some |
of the features of two of the jew.
ish feasts-those of the day Of
atonement and of the passover.
At the feast of the passover, the
Jews sprinkle blood on their door
posts. At the Citna Raymi the
Peruyians rubbed the doorposts
with the cakes in which was min.
gled blood. On the day of atone
ment the high priest loaded down
the goat with the sins of the peo-
pie and he was led away into the
wilderness of an uninhabited
country, and there turned loose.
The sins were the evils which af.
ticted the people. The Peruvi.
ans chased away the evil spirits
by an armed warrior, who chased
them at full speed until the from
tier was reached. What their sins
were to the Jews. the various NAL.
aides were TO the heather Peru.
vians.
In fact, among the Peruvians
was found a strange mixture of
the customs, forms aud beliefs OF
the Pagans, Christians and Jews
of the old world. The readers of
history will remember the strong
faith exhibited by many nations
in the power of divinati0n by the
use of the entralls of ANIMALS.
This belief was just as strong
among the followers of the Incas.
The oracles of Delphi were at
one time the arbiters of the fate Of
nations in the old world. SO in
the new were oracles of the Val.
Icy Of Rimac. we find, too, that
the Peruvians had ceremony re-
semoling the Christian commu.
nion. In the Christian commu.
Mon the bread is first partaken of
and then the consecrated wine.
Both ere administered at the same
time. With the Peruvians the sa
cred beverage was presented
first. Tho Inca first drank of it
and then passed 1t on to his fol.
lowers. The ceremonies were
very much like those now prac'
ticed by the Catholics and High
Church Episcopalians. The next
day the holy bread was broken
and eaten with similar ceremonies,
The object of this communion
was to bring the communicant in.
to closer relations with his deity
the sun. And this is pre.emi.
nently the object of the Christian
sacrament. Baptism was also
practiced In Peru. From fifteen ia
twenty days after birth the child
was plunged into water and then
given his tirst name. The Chris
tian baptism carries with it the
idea ofregeneration, but not SC
with these worshipers of the sun.
This baptism was simply to exer
else the evil spirits and protect
the child from their influence
But might not that have even beer
born from q heather aud untaught
idea of sini The baptism was t.
shield the child from evil. and to
4 the beathen mind that always par
takes Of the nature Of spirits.
They had another peculiar ems
tom which bears close resem
blance TO one that prevailed
among the early Christians, If Il
does not yet among the Chatho
lies. Between the ages Of 10 ant
IL the child was consecrated te
the sun--a sort of confirmation al
1t were. On this occasion the
nails and hair we're cut off and of
fered to the sun and the guardian
spirit. This was done to Obtain
the protection Of divine power
The baptism was TO preserve thu
child from evil spirits; the con
firmation was to secure the pro
lection of the good. At this tim,
the child was given his full name
They also had confessional AM
an inquisition. The priests had
queer way of determining, to thei
own satisfaction, whether the peu
itent had confessed all his SIN
of omission or commission. Whe
the confession was ended th
priest would take In his hand
few grains of corn, and II, o
! counting them, the number woul
turn out even he would declar
. the confession good and gran
absolution, but if the number wa
). odd he would say tire peniten