Page:The Folk-Lore Journal Volume 7 1889.djvu/105

Rh Then he upsets the purè into the fire, and all the people, kneeling with their faces to the east, raise their eyes and hand towards the sky and sing the prayer recited by the vosatya. In the same way the beer and wort in the second and third barrels is offered.

The door on which the "the sovereign's barrel" rests is now laid on the ground. The vosatya orders everyone to bow to the ground, and the pryavt, approaching the barrel with the sacred ladle, fills it with purè, drinks, and says:

"Cham Pas, Nishki Pas, Svyet Vereshki Pas, protect the white Czar—for his health."

Meanwhile the kasangorods issue out the sacred ladles to the men that come in succession to the barrels to drink, repeating the same prayer as the pryavt. The beer (purè) is then emptied into vats, barrels, birchbark vessels, and carried home. This operation completed, one of the parindyaits walks up to the door, which the men standing near lift up. Holding a long fir pole in his right hand, and a ladle full of purè in the left, he then cries out:

"Dur, dur, dur pare Mastir Pas," i.e., "look, look, look, awful Mastir Pas."

He then takes a mouthful of purè, and spirtsspits [sic] it in three directions over the people. The object of this is to insure a good harvest with the help of the earth-god who dwells in the earth.

When this ceremony is over the vosatya climbs up a tree. A ladle full of purè and a fir-pole is handed to him, and he again conceals himself in the branches. In that position he cries out:

"Sakmede!"

When all are silent, he recites in a loud voice the following prayer:

"Cham Pas, Nishki Pas, Svyet Vereski Velen Pas, have mercy upon us. Ange Patyai Pas, mother, most holy mother of God, send forth white lightning and warm dew upon our crops. Mastir Pas, we wish to eat. Ved Mastir Pas, we wish to drink. Norrov ava Anaruchi, make the crops grow. Mastir Pas, Pas, the provider, feed us. Ved Mastir Pas, give us rain. Nishki Pas, shine hot upon our crops.