The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1895-08-31

The one in the full dress of the order
is a corpse, the other a candidate for
admission, the most solemn function
of the devil worshipers, and which
they meet specially to perform.
For forty days the would be initiate
has been confined alone in this under
ground temple. For forty days he has
had to fast from daybreak to sun
down, not even moistening his parch-
ing lips with water, and for forty
nights he has had to sleep upon the
bare earth, with no covering but the
roll Of cotton stuff of which his under
garment is made, and the last night he
has had to keep ward and watch with
the departed Yezidi, whose place he is
to take in the hierarchy. Small won
der after such probation that the l1v-
ing man can scarcely be distinguished
from his dead companion, beside
whom he lies upon the ground. The
scene at this moment is not unimDres-
sive, if a trif1e CHASTITY, for in the fitful
dim and Pickering light of the torches,
which throw black patches of shadow
here and there, the chief beside the
altar, with his immovable countenance
and fixed expression, the swarthy der
wishes and the strangely attired
priests, who appear to be gazing at
vacancy, and the figures stretched in
death and simulated death upon the
floor, seem scarcely Of the earth earth
ly.
The sound Of the "kak's" voice re-
calls one to actually. "Ahoda (the
Deity has willed it, Khoda has Or
dained it," he exclaims. "Khoda has
willed it, Khoda has ordained it," re-
spond the figures ranged in the tenn
pie. And now the ceremony of initia-
ton commences, for prayers and pray
ing are unknown to the Yezidis. Two
Of the black robed dervishes again
step from their places and take up DO
sitions one beside their dead colleague,
the other beside his living companion.
At sign from the chief the former
begins to disrobe the corps, removing
begins to disrobe the corpse, removing
them aside. Then he removes the roll
Of cotton stuff from the living man
and wraps it round the body, envel-
oping it well in the folds Now the
second dervish takes the robes of the
dead man and proceeds to invest the
living candidate beside him, one by
one, with the garments peculiar to the
brotherhood. First he puts on him the
"zubun," long black undershirt.
which reaches below the knees, which
must be no other color but black.
Afterward he draws on the 'sarwah,"
or short white breeches proper to the
fraternity, and then vest which may
be any color but blue, for blue is a
sacred color-Sacred to Satan-and the
true YeZidi makes no use Of any arti-
Gle whatsoever of that hue. Now he
is invested with the "mashlah,'' long
black mantle falling to his feet, and
the "haran," or girdle of rope that suf-
fees him for a Waistband. The initi-
ate at this stage rises from the ground
and takes from the hand Of his col
league conical black cap, which he
must himself have made of woollen
material, and places it upon his own
head. And finally he walks round to
the "kak," or head Of the Yezidis, who
ties round his neck the mystic
"mahak," or bride, which is knotted
about his throat, leaving the ends to
hang down in front, and which must
never leave his body, for it is to be
buried with him when dead.
When fully attired he takes his
place by the side of his chief, while
the two dervishes who assisted at his
initiation leave the temple. In a short
time they return, one leading young
black lamb, the other bringing sharp
knife. The latter hands the implement
to his new colleague, while the former
takes the lamb to him. He catches
the lamb by the front legs and throws
it upon the ground, then turning to-
ward the "king bird" symbol he
grasps the knife firmly in his right
hand and drives it into the abdomen,
just below the diaphram. Into the
wound thus made he inserts his hand
with the knife, cuts the heart clean
out and casts it, all palpitating and
bleeding, at the foot of the ''malik
tans," or king bird, which represents
the deity incarnate in Satan. The
blood is then sprinkled upon the altar
and seven times upon the newly or
dained dervish and his dead colleague.
Thereupon the procession reforms and
returns to the upper world in the same
order as it came. b..
To the music Of the flute and the
e-ashing Of the cymbals we march
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