The priests and gentlemen assembled in the court-yard of the temple, with only a few aged women who had to dance. Before the ceremony began, many people came to deposit in the court-yard abundant presents in the shape of food and drink, with plenty of balché, the nectar of the gods, all of which was for the benefit of those who had patiently fasted. But first the rite must be observed.
The priests began by purifying the temple and the yard with incense; then the devil had to be cast out. This was done by passing a rope all round the yard, a chac being seated at each corner; an assistant was given some incense and a goblet of balché to carry outside of the village. He was strictly forbidden to taste the nectar.
Then the four chacob made the new fire, produced by rubbing together two pieces of wood, one hard, the other soft. It is a most interesting fact that the pireos or Magi priests in Persia, when their sacred fire went out—which they considered a great misfortune—had to kindle it in the purest way possible; this they did by rubbing two pieces of dry wood together, or by concentrating the solar rays, by means of mirrors or lenses, on something inflammable. They renovated their fire once a year, at the time of the summer solstice.
