Next he orders the people to pray on their knees. All kneel down, raise their hands, look towards the sky, and shout with one voice:
"Cham Pas, Nasarom Pas, have mercy upon us. Nishki Pas, Svyet Vereshki Velen Pas, protect us. Ange Patyai Pas, mother, most holy mother of God, pray for us."
The names of the divinities are pronounced slowly, but the words "have mercy upon us, defend us, protect us, pray for us," are slurred over quickly and imperfectly. The prayer is repeated several times, and meanwhile the vosatya descends from the tree and stands on the table, or on the seat at the foot of it. On one side of the seat is the barrel of beer (puré) called "the sovereign's barrel," as it is an offering for the welfare of the sovereign. On the other side is "the world's barrel," an offering for the welfare of all mankind. It often happens there is a third for the welfare of the government.
Having mounted on the seat, the vosatya throws his hands about in every direction, and again cries:
"Sakmede."
Those who are praying on their knees rise up and fix their eyes on the vosatya, who, with uncovered head, raises his hands towards the sky, turns to the west, and repeats to himself the prayer recently said by the people.
Then begins the proper sacrificial ceremony, called vosnápalom.
The vosatya, leaving his seat, takes the sacred ladle from the pryavt, places bread and salt in it, and approaches the pot in which the flesh is being boiled. Taking the sacrificial knife from the yanbed, he cuts off a piece of flesh and—without its being imperative—the tongue, and lays them carefully in the ladle. Then he stations himself on a seat beside the horai shigat, or cooking shed, raises the ladle towards the sky, and shouts:
"Cham Pas, take notice! accept! Nasarom Pas, take notice! accept!"
Meanwhile, all those in front of him stand silent, with their faces to the east,[1] and raise their hands towards the sky. When the
- ↑ This must be a mistake I think for west, as the cooking- shed and fires were on that side of the Keremet.
