Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-11-02
A Singular Worship.
RELIGIOUS FORMS AMONG CERTAIN ARMENIAN
SECTS.

RELIGIOUS FORMS AMONG CERTAIN ARMENIAN
From the Boston Herald
Near Mosul, in the outspurs of Kurdistan.
Armenia, lies Ba-Hasani, the holy city of the
Jesids, or Devil Worshipers, and containing
the temple and mausoleum of their Sheik Adj;
and not far thence the village of Bashlyka
the residence of their civil and religious head.
According to tradition, their faith had its
origin In certain apostate members of the Ar
menian Church, and their name is variously
derived from Jesu or Jesid, one of their chiefs,
and from the town of Jed Their faith has
probably, however, a much earlier origin,
derived from the influence of all those reli-
glons successfully holding sway in those re-
gions, from Zoroastrianism to Islam. They
address prayers to the sun at his rising and
kiss the place first touched by his beams. At
certain festivals they warm the fingers of their
right hand at the holy taper, then draw them
over their right eyebrows and kiss them. The
Supreme Being they name Allah and reverence
the founder OF Islam as prophet, while they
reverence Christ as great angel, naming him
Ben Isai Nurani (Jesus, Son of the Light, who
one day will come to rule the world They de-
sire to live in good understanding with Shall
tan (SatanO, the devil, and so great is their re-
spect for him that they do not pre-
sumo to pronounce his name, but call
him "Melek-Tau," and pay honor to
him symbolically as a light-giver Ou-
Thursday is their Sabbath. They fast forty
days in the spring, but are not over strict in
the observance of such fast, preferring rather
to do 1t by proxy. One member of the family
fasting will do for all the others as well as him
self. Children are Immediately after birth
baptized with the water of the holy
spring at the grave of the Sheik Adj
To this end that water is fetched to places very
remote from the holy well by mendicant
monks, all belonging to one single family.
The aims gathered by these monks on their
pilgrimages are divided into three parts Half
goes to the mausoleum of the Sheik Adj, a
quarter to the head of the sect, and a quarter
to the HAWAI- himself. Besides these mendicant
monks the Jesids have high priests or sheiks,
and a subordinate class of servants of the tenn
pie, or fakirs, as also another class, the So
called 'dJirs" cold, eldest" presbyter), held
in high respect by the faithful, and, by reason
OF their pious life and pretended power to
cure diseases, standing in the SAVIOUR of spe-
cial sancity. He who by his aims gives to the
priests sufficiently of wealth may acquire eter-
requirement. but is left to the choice of the
head of the family. The Jesids have a
horror of the color of blue, and eschew all
attire of that hue. They have the reputation
of being strictly honest and moral. They show
great respect to women, so that a woman may
acquire the priestly dignity. Polygamy is al
lowed only with tribal chiefs. The common
man may have but one wife, for whom he has
often to pay the mother a rather high price.
Priests and HAWAI- may not marry out of their
| caste. A widow dresses in white, and etiquette
! requires of her even to strew dust on her head
and smear her face with clay, Corpses are
first washed and then buried with the face to-
ward the polar star. In the killing of animals
all the blood is drained off by cutting through
the artery of the neck, as with the Jews and
Mohammedans. They cling with great tena-
city to their faith, but refuse the adoption of
any proselytes into their ranks.