In Mandaeism, the pihta (
The pihta is not to be confused with the faṭira, a small, round, saltless, half-baked biscuit also used in Mandaean rituals.
Description
The pihta, as used in rituals for living people such as the
masbuta, is a small, round, salted, biscuit-sized
flatbread made by mixing flour and salt with water, followed by baking. It can only be made by Mandaean priests, and the flour is also ground by priests.
[Drower, Ethel Stefana. 1937. The Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran. Oxford At The Clarendon Press.] Unlike the
faṭira, which is saltless sacramental bread used for the
masiqta, the pihta (as used in masbuta rituals) is salted (with salt mixed into the dough before baking), since salt (
mihla) represents symbolizes the soul according to the
Alma Rišaia Rba. However, pihta is also used during
masiqta rituals. In this case, the pihta is not salted, since the lack of salt symbolizes the departure of the soul from the body.
(
See also:
blessed salt)
Ritual usage
Every Sunday, Mandaeans participate in a baptismal mass (
maṣbuta) involving immersion in flowing water (
yardna) by ordained priests. The baptized then consume pieces of salted pihta blessed by a priest in order to restore their connections (
laufa) with the World of Light (see Mandaean cosmology).
Saltless pihta is also used in masiqta rituals.
Associated ritual objects
The
brihi is a ritual clay fire saucer. Its narrow end faces north. The
brihi is used for the pihta and riha.
The gišar is a stone flour mill that can only be used by priests for grinding sacramental flour.
Prayers
Various prayers in the
Qulasta, including prayers – and , are recited during the sacrament of the pihta.
See also
-
Sacramental bread
-
Fatira
-
Sa (Mandaeism)
