'' being read inside a tarmida initiation hut in Baghdad, Iraq in 2008 Tarmida initiates or
novices ( ) can come from any "pure" family. In other words, the families must be ritually pure, meaning that there are no family members who have committed grave sins. Ritually pure laymen are also known as
hallali in
Mandaic. Typically, the novices have been trained as ritual assistants (
šganda or
ašganda) when they were children. Initiates may or may not be married, although typically they are not yet married. the
Scroll of Exalted Kingship (),
The Great Supreme World (), and the
Qulasta. Ritual helpers (
šganda or ), who represent emissaries from the
World of Light, also help perform the rituals, many of which are held in a specially constructed priest initiation hut (
škinta) and also a nearby temporary reed hut (
andiruna).
Prayer sequence Below is the sequence of
Qulasta prayer numbers for the tarmida initiation according to both the
Coronation and
Exalted Kingship.
Exalted Kingship contains more detailed descriptions of the rituals, while the
Coronation is shorter. During the prayers,
pihta (
sacramental bread) and
mambuha (sacramental water) are also consumed. Ritual handclasps (
kušṭa) are often exchanged between the novice and the initiator, and sometimes also with the ritual assistant (
šganda). Various names of the deceased (
zhara ) are also uttered along with the prayers. File:Mandaean priest initiation 04.png|Seven priests begin the initiation by baptizing each other, and then the initiate. File:Mandaean priest initiation 06.png|A ram is sacrificed for the initiation ceremony. File:Mandaean priest initiation 07.png|A
shkinta being built File:Mandaean priest initiation 08.png|The completed
shkinta File:Mandaean priest initiation 11.png|An initiate in the
andiruna File:Mandaean priest initiation 12.png|An initiate receiving a sacred gold ring called
Shom Yawar Ziwa File:Mandaean priest initiation 14.png|Priests praying the
Baii Rahmi (the Great Prayer) File:Mandaean priest initiation 15.png|Priests reading the
Baii Rahmi (the Great Prayer) File:Mandaean priest initiation 16.png|An initiate performing
rishama (ablution) in order to start the lengthy prayer
Baii Rahmi (Great Prayer), with the
drabsha assembled in the background File:Mandaean priest initiation 18.png|An initiate baptizing his initiator File:Mandaean priest initiation 20.png|Celebrating the newly ordained tarmidia in Baghdad in 2008 File:Mandaean priest initiation 21.png|Newly ordained tarmidia in Baghdad in 2008 ==See also==