THE "AGIASMO"
MARIA had a little son. Mathos was almost beside himself with delight,
and the young mother was beautiful in her happiness. Her pretty face,
always sweet, took on a deeper loveliness as she gazed on the little
creature, so pink and white and dear, and Zoe thought she had never
seen anything sweeter than her cousin and the baby together. Zoe had
cared for her Aunt's babies so well that she was quite an authority
and Maria trusted her with the little treasure when she would look
anxiously at anyone else who took him up. He was indeed a joy. Serene
and healthy, he lay all day, quite happy in the fact that he was able
to get his tiny thumb in his mouth.
[Illustration: "PAPA PETRO CAME RIDING DOWN FROM HIS HOUSE ON A TINY
DONKEY."]
Maria had made her visit at Church on the fortieth day after the baby
was born and Papa Petro had taken the little angel in his arms and
walked thrice around the altar with him. Now the time had come when the
good old priest was to christen the baby, and all the relatives and
friends assembled to see the ceremony.
Papa Petro came riding down from his house on a tiny donkey. He was a
dear old man with a wise, kindly face. He had been all his priestly
life over the one parish, and his people were dear to him. They in
turn loved him devotedly and he was always welcomed joyfully at any
festivity.
Before the christening he blessed the house, performing the _agiasmo_
or blessing, with great earnestness. First he took off his tall hat
and let down his hair which was long and snowy white and usually worn
in a knob at the back of his head. Then he set a basin of water and
some incense before the _eikon_ which was hung in a corner of the
room. Every Grecian home has its _eikon_ or picture of a saint or the
Blessed Virgin. The incense he placed in a bowl and lighted it, the
smoke rising and filling the room with a strong perfume. He read the
prayers which keep off the evil spirits in an impressive manner, and
then turned his attention to the christening.
Baby Mathos, very cunning in his new cap, was set down before the
_eikon_ which bore the pictured face of the saint to whom he was to be
dedicated. That was the signal for all the women present to rush for
his cap, the one who secured the coveted bit of lace and muslin being
the godmother. Zoe was the lucky one, and she stood proudly up beside
Maria and the godfather, who had been Mathos' best man. The _nounos_[8]
had given baby his fine new dress and had come prepared for all that a
godfather must do.
The babycoula was then undressed and held up to the priest in Zoe's
proud arms for Papa Petro to cut three hairs from the tiny head and
throw them into the baptismal font. This was filled with water into
which the godfather had poured a little olive oil.
Baby Mathos was then held to the west, to represent the kingdom of
darkness, and Papa Petro asked three times, "Do you renounce the devil
and all his works?" To this the godfather replied, "I do renounce
them." At this the priest and godfather turned toward the east with the
baby and the baby was plunged three times into the water. Baby squealed
and kicked, and Zoe smiled, for if a baby does not cry at the water it
is very bad luck, showing that the Evil One has not gone out of him.
The babycoula did his little best to assure the company that he had
no evil spirit left within, howling wrathfully after he was dried and
anointed with holy oils, refusing to stop even when prayed over at
length, only smiling when, the ceremony over, the _nounos_ gave some
_drachmas_ to his parents and threw a whole handful of _lepta_[9] among
the children present.
"He is generous with his witness money," whispered Zoe to Maria and she
smiled happily.
"Our little one will have the best of godparents," Maria said sweetly.
"You to love him and Loukas to think of his welfare."
Papa Petro dipped an olive branch in holy water and sprinkled the rooms
of the little cottage, then he sat down beside Maria, tied up his hair
and took a cup of coffee. Everyone was served to glasses of water and
sweets and everybody talked and laughed and said what a beautiful
little Christian the babycoula was! As each one admired the baby Maria
coloured and looked anxious and fingered the blue beads about her
darling's neck.
"What have you for a charm against the evil eye?" asked Papa Petro,
kindly. "Ah, I see, the blue beads. Well, that is good. Blue is the
Blessed Virgin's colour and the Panageia[10] will be your help.
However, I have brought you a bit of crooked coral which I have always
found good."
"It is most kind of you," said Maria prettily, as she hung the precious
spray of coral at the babycoula's throat. Zoe smiled to herself. She
had not intended to run any risk that her cousin's little baby should
be marked with the evil eye, which can be put on a child just by
admiring it. So, for the baby was so pretty she had felt sure it would
be admired all day, she had put a bit of soot behind his ear, for that
will ward off any evil eye. It is a sure charm. Therefore she felt
quite satisfied even though every one present did say that the baby was
perfectly beautiful. Then she held the little thing up before a mirror,
for that would insure another baby in the family before the close of
the year, and as the Grecians love children dearly they are glad to
have many of them.
The baby had so many pieces of white stuff given to him that the little
house looked as if it had been in a snow storm. No polite person would
come to see a new baby and not give it something white, even if it
were only an egg, for such a gift insures to the infant a lovely fair
complexion.
Thus was Baby Mathos started on his journey as a Christian with all
good omens, and his little godmother went home in the cool of the
evening, happy in all of the pleasures of the day.
"It was lovely, Aunt Anna!" she said to her aunt. "Was it not? Maria's
baby is a dear little fellow. He is my own godchild and I love him
dearly, but of course not more than our own babycoula," and she buried
her face in Baby Domna's neck. The baby crowed and cooed and patted
Zoe's face with her tiny chubby hands and pulled her hair and acted in
the entrancing way in which only a baby can act and Zoe laughed back at
her and hugged her tight.
"You're my own babycoula," she said. "And I love you better than
anything."
"Better than you do me? Oh shame!" said Marco teasing, while Aunt
Anna, like every other good mother pleased with the attention her baby
received, smiled upon her. Marco, however, looked very solemn and said
reproachfully,
"I thought you would never like any baby better than me!"
"But you are not a baby," said Zoe, and Aunt Anna said,
"I am not so sure that he is not. But do not mind him, he is only
teasing. You are a good child, Zoe," and little Zoe went happily to bed
her heart warm at the thought that everybody seemed to love her, if she
was an orphan and far away from home.
"It is only love that counts," she murmured to herself sleepily and
fell asleep with a smile on her face, as the silver moon streamed
through her window and the air came in soft and kind, fragrant with the
breath of spring.
FOOTNOTES:
[8] God-father.
[9] Small copper coin.
[10] All Holy One.