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A rasta ( myz, ࡓࡀࡎࡕࡀ) is a white ceremonial garment that
A rasta ( myz, ࡓࡀࡎࡕࡀ) is a white ceremonial garment that Mandaeans
Mandaeans ( ar, المندائيون ), also known as Mandaean Sabians ( ) or simply as Sabians ( ), are an ethnoreligious group who are followers of Mandaeism. They believe that John the Baptist was the final and most important prophet. They ...
wear during most baptismal
Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...
rites, religious ceremonies, and during periods of uncleanliness. It signifies the purity of the World of Light
In Mandaeism, the World of Light or Lightworld ( myz, ࡀࡋࡌࡀ ࡖࡍࡄࡅࡓࡀ, translit=alma ḏ-nhūra) is the primeval, transcendental world from which Tibil and the World of Darkness emerged.
Description
*The Great Life (''Hayyi Rabbi ...
. The rasta is worn equally by the laypersons and the priests. If a Mandaean dies in clothes other than a rasta, it is believed that they will not reenter the "World of Light", unless the rite "Ahaba d-Mania" ('Giving of Garments') can be performed "for those who have died not wearing the ritual garment."
A rasta also has a stitched-on pocket called the ''daša''.
Symbolism
The rasta is expected to be transmuted after death into a "garment of glory" for the soul ("the Perfecter of Souls ... will come out toward you and clothe your soul in a garment of radiance") – this is equivalent to theperispirit
In Spiritism, perispirit is the subtle body that is used by the spirit to connect with the perceptions created by the brain. The term is found among the extensive terminology originally devised by Allan Kardec in his books about Spiritism. Its fir ...
.
A Mandaic hymn states:
"I became a garment to the worlds of Light ...
As for the chosen righteous, who put me on (as a garment),
their eyes were filled with Light."Werner Foerster, ''Gnosis: A Selection of Gnostic Texts, Vol. 2 – Coptic and Mandean Sources'', Oxford University Press (1974)
Related clothing
Other ritual clothing pieces that typically go along with the rasta when worn by men, especiallypriest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...
s, are:
*'' Burzinqa'' (turban)
*''Pandama
The pandama ( myz, ࡐࡀࡍࡃࡀࡌࡀ) is a mouth-veil worn by Mandaean men during baptismal ceremonial rituals. It is the lower end of a cloth wrapped around the mouth and lower face to protect from water during immersion. The upper end of the ...
'' (cloth wrapped around the mouth and lower face)
Special prayers in the ''Qolasta
The Qolastā, Qulasta, or Qolusta ( myz, ࡒࡅࡋࡀࡎࡕࡀ; mid, Qōlutā, script=Latn) is the canonical prayer book of the Mandaeans, a Gnostic ethnoreligious group from Iraq and Iran. The Mandaic word ''qolastā'' means "collection". The p ...
'' are also recited when putting on the ''burzinqa'' and ''pandama
The pandama ( myz, ࡐࡀࡍࡃࡀࡌࡀ) is a mouth-veil worn by Mandaean men during baptismal ceremonial rituals. It is the lower end of a cloth wrapped around the mouth and lower face to protect from water during immersion. The upper end of the ...
''.
See also
*Baptismal clothing
Baptismal clothing is apparel worn by Christian proselytes (and in some cases, by clergy members also) during the ceremony of baptism. White clothes are generally worn because the person being baptized is "fresh like the driven manna". In certain ...
* Burzinqa
*Pandama
The pandama ( myz, ࡐࡀࡍࡃࡀࡌࡀ) is a mouth-veil worn by Mandaean men during baptismal ceremonial rituals. It is the lower end of a cloth wrapped around the mouth and lower face to protect from water during immersion. The upper end of the ...
*Drabsha
The drabshaDrower, Ethel Stefana (1937). ''The Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran''. Oxford at the Clarendon Press. ( myz, ࡃࡓࡀࡁࡔࡀ) or darfash ( ar, درفش) is the symbol of the Mandaean faith. It is typically translated as 'banner'.
Etymo ...
*Mandaean cosmology
Mandaean cosmology is the Gnostic conception of the universe in the religion of Mandaeism.
Mandaean cosmology is strongly influenced by Jewish, Babylonian, Persian, Egyptian, Greek, Manichaean and other Near Eastern religions and philosophies.
E ...
*Masbuta
Maṣbuta ( myz, ࡌࡀࡑࡁࡅࡕࡀ) is the ritual of immersion in water in the Mandaeism, Mandaean religion.
Overview
Mandaeans revere John the Baptist and practice frequent baptism (''masbuta'') as a Ritual purification, ritual of purificati ...
*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 f ...
*Parwanaya
Parwanaya ( myz, ࡐࡀࡓࡅࡀࡍࡀࡉࡉࡀ; ar, البرونايا) or Panja (from Persian 'five') is a 5-day religious festival in the Mandaean calendar. The 5 epagomenals (extra days) inserted at the end of every Šumbulta (the 8th month) ...
Notes
{{Mandaeism footer Mandaean clothing Mandaic words and phrases