head of a kellion under the Hegumenos is the Geron, the head of a Sketa, the Dikaios. The present Canon Law orders that any one who wishes to be a monk shall first obey the rule for three years in lay dress (as a novice). This time may, however, be shortened in the case of older men who show great piety and gravity. After the noviceship, the monk receives the first habit, a cassock, leather belt, and kalemaukion. He is now a beginner (ἀρχάριος), and wears a large tonsure with long hair and a beard. After about two more years he makes solemn vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, and receives a short cloak, the mandyas (μανδύας). After some years more, he at last has the complete angelic dress, a great cloak (κουκόυλιον) marked with five crosses, and a scapular (ἀνάλαβις). Most monks have no orders; they form the usual class, and are called simply monks (μόναχοι), some are ordained deacon and some priests, who then become priest-monks (ἱερομόναχοι). The common people, however, call all of them of any age or rank "good old men" (καλόγεροι), and "good old man" is the usual name for a monk all over the East.[1] All monks sing the whole of their enormously long office every day in choir, and this takes up the great part of the day;[2] on the eve of great feasts they spend the whole night in their church, too, keeping the vigil with the office of the night-watch (ὁλονυκτικόν).[3] The rest of the time they rest from the labour of saying the office, sleep, dig in the garden, or do work for the monastery. The Athos monks seem to spend a good deal of time rowing boats. Although there are no different religious orders, there are two very different kinds of monastery. The stricter monasteries are Cœnobia (κοινόβια). In these, the monks possess nothing at all, live and eat together and have definite tasks appointed to them by their superiors. But there are also many Idiorythmic monasteries (ἰδίορυθμα) in which the monks live entirely apart from one
- ↑ The Turks have taken the word into their language.
- ↑ Rather more than eight hours. They divide the twenty-four hours of the day into three parts—eight hours for the office, eight for hand work, eight for food, sleep, and recreation. That is the theory. Really, except on great feasts, they chant the office very fast and get through it in about six hours altogether.
- ↑ Also called agrypnia.
