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Encyclopedia of Religion entry forBarsomIn the Old Testament there is a reference (Ezekiel viii. 16, 17) to a practice of holding twigs towards the face in worship. The prophet reproves some of the Jews for doing this as well as for worshipping the sun. The Parsees have such a custom, and the bundle of twigs which they use is called Barsom. In Yasna lvii. of the Zend-avesta the angel Sraosha (Srosh) is worshipped as " he who of Ahuramazda‘s creatures first worshipped Ahuramazda by means of arranging the sacred twigs (Barsom) " and as " he who first arranged the bundle of sacred twigs (Barsom), that with three, that with five, that with seven, and that with nine stalks, those which were as long as to go up to the knees, and those which went as far as the middle of the breast (he arranged them) to worship, to praise, to satisfy, and to extol the archangels." In one form of the ceremony with this bundle of sacred twigs, the twigs had to be arranged in a certain prescribed order while portions of a sacred book were being chanted. Thin metal wires are now generally used instead of twigs. See Martin Haug. citations: Encyc. of Rel., Canney
article created 2006-04-12 , last updated 2006-04-12 |
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