Hosay

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Hosay
Muslim Indo-Caribbeans in Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, Jamaica, and their diaspora
SignificanceCommemoration of the Battle of Karbala, in which Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of Muhammad was slain in 680 CE
Date1-10 Muharram[1]
FrequencyAnnually
Related toAshura, Mourning of Muharram, Tabuik
Part of a series on
Husayn
Life
Remembrance
Perspectives
Related articles
Tadjah festival on a plantation in Suriname, circa 1890
A historic Ashura celebration in Jamaica, which is known locally as Hussay or Hosay.

Hosay (originally from

Indo-Caribbean commemoration that is popularly observed in Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica. In Trinidad and Tobago, multi-coloured model mausoleums or mosque-shaped model tombs known as tadjah are used to display the symbolic part of this commemoration. They are built and paraded, then ritually taken to the sea on last day of observance, and finally discarded into the water.[2]
The word tadjah derived from the Arabic word ta'zieh and signifies different cultural meanings depending on the region, time period, occasion, and religion. In Guyana, and Suriname, the festival is called Taziya or in Caribbean Hindustani tadjah in reference to these floats, arguably the most visible and decorative element of this festival.

Generally, Hosay lasts for ten days and is observed in accordance with the

religions. The event is attended by both Muslims and non-Muslims, depicting an environment of mutual respect and tolerance. A unique design of tadja can be found during the Hosay celebrations in Cedros, a coastal village situated in the southwestern end of Trinidad, that are built in an exclusive style that is not found anywhere else in the world, in terms of the art and style of construction.[5][6] In nineteenth-century Trinidad newspapers as well as government reports derogatorily called Hosay the "Coolie Carnival."[7]

Origins

The Hosay or Husay (derived from Husayn or Hussein)

Remembrance of Muharram in Trinidad and Tobago[9] and Jamaica.[10] The name Hosay comes from "Husayn" who was assassinated by Yazid in Karbala. This martyrdom is commemorated in the festival. In Trinidad and Tobago it is primarily celebrated in Saint James, in northwestern Trinidad and in Cedros in southwestern Trinidad. Recently it has been revived elsewhere. In Jamaica it is celebrated throughout the island. In the past, every plantation in each parish celebrated Hosay. Today it has been called an Indian carnival and is perhaps most well known in Clarendon where it is celebrated each August. People of all religions attend the event.[11][12]

In the 1850s, very elaborately decorated models of mosques made of paper and tinsel called tadjahs were carried through the streets to the accompaniment of constant drumming. Small fires were lit in the gutters beside the streets over which the drumskins were heated to tighten the skins of the tassa drums. Mock stick fights celebrate the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali. The festival lasts three days ending with the throwing of the tadjahs into the sea at sunset on the third day. Although Hosay is a religious event for Shias, all of Trinidad's religious and ethnic communities participate in it, and it has become accepted as part of the national culture.

The Remembrance of Muharram was continued to the Caribbean by Muslim Indian

indentured labourers and other migrant laborers from India. The observance of Hosay in Trinidad is traced back to 1854.[13] The celebrations encouraged social interactions and were a rare opportunity to cross color lines where those of Indian origin could mingle with those of African, Amerindian, Chinese or other backgrounds.[14]

Suppression

In the 1880s the

Hosay Riots
in British and colonial records.

See also

References

  1. ^ "First Ten Days of Muharram".
  2. ^ Hope, Green (26 March 1999), "BU prof wins mini-Oscar for film of ethnic rituals", B.U. Bridge Vo. II No. 28, Boston University
  3. ^ Dr. Fiazuddin, Shuayb (2015), Hosay in Trinidad and Tobago: History, Cultural Transformations, and Meanings, Lecture outreach program, JAWDA Institute Inc, in collaboration with Consulate General of Trinidad and Tobago in New York, pp. 1–12{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) PDF link [1]
  4. ^ "Festivals and Holidays". Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  5. ^ "Hosay in Cedros". Trinidad Express. March 15, 2015. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  6. ^ Jevan Soyer (2016). "Hosay in St. James – then and now". Sweet TnT Magazine. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  7. ^ Specifically, Trinidad Sentinel 6 August 1857. Also, Original Correspondence of the British Colonial Office in London (C.O. 884/4, Hamilton Report into the Carnival Riots, p.18
  8. ^ Ronald C. Emrit. "Hosay (Hussain)". Cultural and Sports History of Trinidad & Tobago. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  9. ISBN 0-8122-3683-1
    .
  10. ^ Shankar, Guha (2003) Imagining India(ns): Cultural Performances and Diaspora Politics in Jamaica. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Texas, Austin pdf Archived 2008-12-19 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ "Hosay Festival, Westmoreland, Jamaica". 14 February 2009.
  12. ^ "Out Of Many Cultures The People Who Came The Arrival Of The Indians".
  13. ^ Dr Kumar Mahabir (May 29, 2012). "Indian arrival and survival". Trinidad Express Newspapers. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  14. OCLC 70763732
    .

Footnotes

  • Mendes, John. 1986. Cote ce Cote la: Trinidad & Tobago Dictionary. Arima, Trinidad.

External links
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