showed that their end should be fitting, and that everything which might speed their souls to heaven should be done on the most impressive scale. The Church taught them of the supreme importance of the last moments of life; and from this, it was a little step to think that the larger the body of people who could be gathered to pray for their souls as they went out, the better for them. The funeral ceremonies were elaborate, and often the occasion of great ceremony......The greatest care was taken to ensure a large attendance of priests, clerks, and people of all kinds at these services. Often men would leave directions that everyone present at the last rites was to receive a definite reward, which varied according to the status of the several reclpients.". The canons present at the funeral were given about 20d., vicars 12d. and choristers 3d. each. The above mediaval view of the life after death and its punishments has a parallel among the Parsee. Mr. Bennett speaks of the view about (a) the horrors and pains of eternal torment, (b) the importance of the last moments of life, and (c) the directions enjoyed by the dying persons from that view. I will speak briefly on these points from a Parsee point of view. (a) The horrors and pains of punishment. For an account of a Parsee view of the horrors and pains of punishment after death, in the last and preceding centuries, I may point to the Pahlavi book of Virâf-nâmeh, giving the vision of Hell and Heaven as seen by Ardai Viraf the Iranian Dante.2 The refined modern view of the Parsees has the tendency to estimate the description in the Virâf Namâh at its proper value, but still there are some who hold some view of the above kind. According to Dastur Dr. Hoshang Jamasp, a few years ago, when the Virâf Nâmeh used to be read before them, they, but especially the gentler sex, used to weep.”3 1 The Pastons and their England pp. 196.197 2 Vide Virâf Nâmeh p. LV. 3 The weeping was, more out of sympathy than out of consciousness for guilt. Some Persian and Gujarati Versions of the Pahlavi Virâf-nameh give miniature paintings of the supposed sufferings of the sinful. "The supreme importance of the last moments of life" was ecognised by the Parsees also. We see that recognition, in the custom of holding akhiâna1 at the last moments of death, when a few priests are gathered together to say the (b) The Importance of the last moments of life. Patet or the Prayer of repentence on behalf of the person who is on the point of expiring. They are paid both in kind and in coin. The payment in kind consists of quantities of wheat." (c) Directions for Funeral Ceremonies Among the Parsees, the important occasions, on which the priests are invited in large numbers, are those of the funeral procession and of the Uthamnâ on the afternoon of the third day after death, when rich persons invite all the priests of the town, the number of whom in a big city like Bombay, which is their headquarters, varies, at times, from three hundred to four hundred. Some rich persons directed in their wills, that the whole of the priesthood may be so invited. On the occasions of the Uthamnâ, besides presents in money, they are given presents in cloth also. A piece of cloth that would make a Sudreh or ths sacred shirt is presented to each priest. Some Parsees, like the Medieval Christians, even prescribed in their wills the fees to be given to the attendant priests. The fee now given to the priest who form the funeral procession, is, at least, Rs. 2. Mr. Bennett gives a long account of the funeral feasts in Med(b) Funeral Feasts. æval England. In his account of one of such feasts, he says: The extent of the preparations may be gauged by noticing that two men were kept busy for three days in flaying the beasts for the feasts, whilst it must, indeed have 'snewed mete and drynke' in the shape of eggs, bread, fish, poultry &c." In another funeral feast 1 Vide my "Religious Ceremonies and Customs of the Parsees 52-53. pp. 2 The gift of grain to priests on occasions of death consists of wheat, while that, on occasions of joy, consists of rice. 3 Pastons, p. 198. 66 given on "a sumptuous scale," 129 priests and clerks and 68 children and other poor men were present. This funeral feast cost £74-28-50, which sum says Mr. Bennett "must be multiplied by 10 at least to compare with modern 1914 values."1 One of the old papers referring to the funeral feast of a rich family informs us that "bread, cheese, boiled purtenances of lambs and veal, roasted mutton, chicken, calves heads, boiled beef, soup, roasted pork, umbles (i.e., inwards of deer or other animals) &c., formed the courses of the dinner.2 In one dinner "the first course for priests etc., consisted of Chicken broth capons, mutton, geese and custard." "The second course of "the second soup, hotch-potch of meat and herbs, capons, lamb, pork, veal, roasted pigeons, baked rabbits, pheasants venision, jelly &c."3 In the matter of Funeral feasts, much is common between the Medieval Christian and a modern Parsee. I will first speak of what happened in my own family. My father died when I was 17 years of age. My mother then provided a petty sumptuous feast on the chahârûm or the fourth day after death. The principal occasions of such funeral feasts among the Parsees are the fourth day after death and the anniversary after death. I remember my mother giving also a funeral feast on the first anniversary of my father's death, when about 200 guests were invited. Special care is taken, that all those relatives and friends, who attended the funeral and accompanied the funeral procession to the Tower, are invited. It must be noted, that among the Parsees, the funeral feasts are never held before the fourth day. It is on the dawn of the third night after death that the soul of the deceased is believed to cross over to the other world. So, it is after that event, that the first feast in his or her honour is held. For the first three days, meat is, as a sign of mourning, prohibited.4 1 Ibid m. 3. 2 Ibid p. 199. 3 Ibid p. 199. The variety of the courses and dishes referred to by Mr. Bennett reminds me of what I saw, during my travels in China, at the funeral I know of a number of cases where the deceased have given definite instructions for their funeral feasts not only for the first anniversary but also for subsequent anniversaries. The Trustees of the late Mr. Jejeebhoy Dadabhoy's Charities in Bombay still give a funeral feast on the anniversary of the founder of the family at the Fire temple founded by him at Colaba. On that occasion, all the Parsee priests of Bombay are invited at the Jashan ceremony and given a Rupee each, and then, a dinner is held, where about 30 or 40 priests and about a 100 other guests are entertained at a sumptuous dinner.1 The late Mr. Maneckji Nowroji Seth, in his will dated 4th April 1748, directed that Nâhniâs (i.e., priests observing the nân) 3 should be fed on his every Baj i.e., the anniversary of his death at a cost of Rs. 81. At present the cost comes to about Rs. 850. We read in "The Pastons and their England": "Nor had the bereaved finished their labours for the (C) Funeral Prayers. dead when they had laid them to rest with such elaborate ceremony. In the fifteenth century, the offering of daily or frequent masses for the souls of the departed was very common. People were careful to leave money by will, so that a priest might be hired to say mass for gathering of a Chinaman at Pekin in April 1921. The Chinese are much inclined to a view of resignation or of renunciation. Taking it, that both birth and death are in the hands of God, they do not mourn much on one's death. I went with some hesitation and diffidence to the house of a Chinaman where death had taken place. I stood out for a minute or so looking at all the pompous preparations for the funeral. Finding from my inquiries, that I was inquisitive, they kindly asked me to go in the house. There, I saw several people having a sumptuous dinner. "The corpse was lying in a room with all preparations of pomp, and near it were placed numerous dishes of meat, vegetables, sweets and beautiful fruit. I counted about 32 dishes, all arranged in good order on a table before the corpse. 1 The founder has directed in his will (clause 13), that from 100 to 150 relations and others may be invited to the dinner. He has also directed that as. 8 may be given to each priest and as. 4 to other poor persons. 2 Vide my "Religious ceremonies and Customs of the Parsees." p. 166. 3 Ibid. pp. 95-101. 66 66 their souls daily. Sometimes sufficient money was left to ensure this being done in perpetuity, and the growth of chantiers all over England is an evidence of the prevalence of this custom. When people were not rich enough to endow a charity for ever, they arranged that a mass-priest should be hired to sing for them for a number of years."1 Some enjoined to engage "an honest secular priest" to sing and pray for a number of years. Some enjoined all those ceremonies and prayers not only for them. selves, but also for their parents and other ancestors for a number of years. Women enjoined these for themselves and for their husbands. 'Rich people were able to increase their opportunities, as they thought, by making more lavish arrangements. Instead of one mass being said daily, they could pay for several priests to sing for them."2 Some ordered these prayers to be said in divers Abbeys. Entire foundations were, at times, instituted for the purpose. People who were not rich enough to pay for daily services in perpetuity, or for a period of years, were sometimes able to provide for a service to be held a month or a year after the death. Special care was taken to ensure a repetition of the three services of Vespers, Matins and Mass for the dead, on the 30th day after the decease or burial. This day was known as the thirty-day, or the monthmind and was observed with great solemnity.. .No doubt a great deal of money was spent on this day, and to some it seemed to be more an occasion for extravagance than for religion."3 There were also some rare instances of persons directing that "no month-mind should be kept for him, and that the money thus saved should be given to the poor."4 The service celebrating the anniversary of the death was called the 66 the year mind or obit." "The celebration of a daily mass was the chief duty of every parish priest. No doubt, it is true that priests sometimes neglected this duty and only held infrequent services; but, in the households of people having 1 Ibid. p. 200. 2 Ibid. p. 200-201. ▲ Ibid. |