Mandaeism Mandaeism (Classical Mandaic: ࡌࡀࡍࡃࡀࡉࡉࡀ ; Arabic: المندائيّة ), sometimes also known as Nasoraeanism or Sabianism, is a Gnostic, monotheistic and ethnic religion. Its adherents, the Mandaeans, revere Adam, Abel, S ...

, hamra ( myz, ࡄࡀࡌࡓࡀ) is sacramental water mixed with

raisin A raisin is a dried grape. Raisins are produced in many regions of the world and may be eaten raw or used in cooking, baking, and brewing. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia, the word ''raisin'' is reserved for the d ...

s that have been

macerated Maceration is the process of preparing foods through the softening or breaking into pieces using a liquid. Raw, dried or preserved fruit or vegetables are soaked in a liquid to soften the food, or absorb the flavor of the liquid into the food. I ...

(i.e., softened via soaking). Although it is often translated as "

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

" or "

grape juice Grape juice is obtained from crushing and blending grapes into a liquid. In the wine industry, grape juice that contains 7–23 percent of pulp, skins, stems and seeds is often referred to as ''must''. The sugars in grape juice allow it to be u ...

," hamra used in Mandaean rituals is non-alcoholic, and it is also not freshly pressed grape juice. It is used during

wedding A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage vo ...

and

masiqta The masiqta ( myz, ࡌࡀࡎࡉࡒࡕࡀ) is a mass or ritual practiced in the Mandaean religion in order to help guide the soul (''nišimta'') towards the World of Light in Mandaean cosmology. They are typically performed as funerary rites for ...

rituals. The hamra can be served in a ''kapta'', a shallow brass drinking bowl that is 11 inches or less in perimeter, or in a ''qanina'' (small glass bottle).Drower, Ethel Stefana. 1937. ''The Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran''. Oxford At The Clarendon Press.

Symbolism

Jorunn Jacobsen Buckley Jorunn Jacobsen Buckley (born Jorunn Jacobsen in 1944 in Norway) is an American religious studies scholar and historian of religion known for her work on Mandaeism and Gnosticism. She was a former Professor of Religion at Bowdoin College. She is k ...

notes that the bowl of hamra is symbolic of the

womb The uterus (from Latin ''uterus'', plural ''uteri'') or womb () is the organ in the reproductive system of most female mammals, including humans that accommodates the embryonic and fetal development of one or more embryos until birth. The uter ...

, with the hamra itself representing blood. Near the start of the masiqta ritual, the hamra is prepared by kneeding the raisins until the water darkens. During the process of the ritual, fragments of

faṭira In Mandaeism, faṭira ( myz, ࡐࡀࡈࡉࡓࡀ; plural form: ''faṭiri''Drower, Ethel Stefana. 1937. ''The Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran''. Oxford At The Clarendon Press.) is a small, round, saltless, half-baked biscuit. Faṭiras are used in ritu ...

(representing the substance of the ancestors which the deceased aims to join) and a piece of

pigeon Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...

meat are folded in unbaked

pihta In Mandaeism, the pihta ( myz, ࡐࡉࡄࡕࡀ, lit=opened; something broken apart or into pieces) is a type of sacramental bread used with rituals performed by Mandaean priests. It is a small, round, biscuit-sized flatbread that can either be sa ...

(representing the soul). Water is mingled with the hamra, symbolising fertilisation, prior to the priest dipping the pihta and fragments and placing them in his mouth, representing the incubation of the lightworld body of the deceased.

References

Mandaean ceremonial food and drink Mandaic words and phrases Grape drinks {{Mandaeism-stub

Symbolism

See also

References