The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-05-13
PARsss FORM OF CHRISTENING
Interesting Religious Ceremony OBJ
served by Natives Of India.

A grandchild of Sir Dunshan Petit,
who lives in Bombay, India, was in
vested with the Sudrah Kusti, which
is the Parsee form Of christening
The ceremony is one of the most in
teresting rites of the Orient. and
consists of placing upon the child
the sudrAh, shirt believed to pro
tect the body from harm, and the
tying on of the kusti, a thread gir-
die, which is supposed to keep the
I soul from evil.
The custom is one of the many
| handed down from the Persians. IL
| is usually held in vast room fitted
with the most valuable treasures of
the family--paintings cut glass, car.
| pets, and carved sandalwOod.
A boy or girl of the Parsees must
begin his or her religious training
| at the age of Z, after which three
months are necessary in which the
| child is taught the duties henceforth
| incumbent as a true Mazdajusian, or
! worshippper of Ahura Mazdu. The
| ceremony is not a secret one, but only
| a few guests are invited as a rule.
| The witnesses sit in a circle around
the priests--of whom there should
be forty-and the child who is clad
| in pink trousers, white shirt stud
ded with gems, and jeweled cap.
| The priests receive the sudrah ana
kusti. Then the priests face the child,
to whom the shirt and the thread
girdle are handed. Around the room
outside the circle of guests are rang
ed as many ordinary priests as the
family can afford.
The high priest, or Dastur, as he
Is called, performs the ceremony.
The child holds the sudrah in the
right hand while reciting the "puri-
flcatiCn prayer" The priests also
pray, swaying their bodies rythmical.
| ly before a sandalwood fire, which
Is kept burning In large silver vase
] fully four feet high.
Then the candidate recites the
Kalma Din, or confession of faith.
Then the sudrah is put on by the
priests, and another prayer, called
Ahuna, Vairjo, is chanted.
| The Dastur then stands behind the
child and receives the "Kirang 1
Kusti," and at the same time winds
the thread girdle around the waist
of the one who is being christened
! Two knots are made in the front
and two behind. The Dastur then
sits down and recites the "Hoshban"
while he anoints the child with
strange red powder called Kun
kur." After that a garland of flow
ers is placed around the neck of
the child, who is presented with betel
nuts. dry dates, and some silver or
gold coin, which is turned over to
the family after the ceremony.
The final act of the ceremony OF
Sudrah Kusti is the pronunciation Of
the benediction. or Tandarosti, while
kopra is showered upon the child's
head. The father and mother, who
then dress the child, also come in
for a blessing. In return for all this
a cashmere shawl is placed over the
shoulders of the high priest, while
the ordinary priests receive smaller
presents. As a rule, at this ceremony
the child receives a large number
Of gifts from friends and relatives
In cases of wealthy Parsees almost
a fortune is known to have been given
to a child in gold, silver, spices, and
jewels.
The sudrah, which strictly means n
garment leading to the right and
profitable path, is made OF nine
pieces of cambric. the Jennings of
which represent each a lesson IN
morality. This kusti is made from
| snow-white WOOL and consists of
seventy.two threads and the weft of
one unbroSen thread. The kustis are
usually made at Navcari, the head
quarters of Parsee priesthood. hc.
cording to religious tradition the
kustis can be made only by females
of the priestly class, for sons OF
priests may marry and yet later be
come priests. The knots of the kusti
represent the sun and the moon, and
tho four twists of each knot are sym
bols of the four elements-flre, water,
air and earth.
There are many other details of
the ceremony OF the Sudrah Kusti,
such as the mother blessing her child
on the threshold, which go to the
making of n picturesque rite, the
heightened by the bare-footed priests
in their white robes and the handsome
Parsee women in their embroidered
sarees shimmering with Jewels