When is hosay in trinidad

Those who help build the tadjahs are meant to fast and to abstain from meat and sex. Celebrants process through the streets carrying many coloured flags, symbolising the beginning of the Battle of Kerbala in which Hussein and Hassan were killed. Once again accompanied by tassa drums, celebrants emerge with huge, stunning and intricate tadjahs, while dancers carry two large crescent moons which spin and dance toward each other. The moons and tadjahs are carried through the streets and finally to a sacred spot where special prayers are offered for the dead before being ritually immersed in the sea.

Observances end by sunset. Your email address will not be published. Photo by Lisa Fernandez. A tadjah at Hosay in St James. Photographer: Mark Lyndersay. Tassa drummers liven up the streets of St. Photogaph by Edison Boodoosingh. Frank Korom investigates the essential role of Hosay in the performance of multiple identities by historically and ethnographically situating the event in Middle Eastern, South Asian, and Caribbean contexts.

Hosay Trinidad: Muharram Performances in an Indo-Caribbean Diaspora is the first detailed historical and ethnographic study of Islamic muharram rituals performed on the island of Trinidad.

Korom's central argument is that the annual rite is a polyphonic discourse that is best understood by employing multiple levels of interpretation. Approximately 30, people took to the streets, in Mon Repos, in the south, to protest against the ordinance. Shots fired to disperse the crowd killed 22 and injured over The ordinance was later overturned. These days, Hosay celebrations in St. James and Cedros not only recall Hussein, but also those killed during the Hosay riots.

Each tadjah is constructed of wood, paper, bamboo and tinsel. Meant to reflect the resting place of Shiite martyrs, the tadjahs resemble mausoleums in India. To many, their domes might be a reminder of the Taj Mahal. Members of the community supply the flags.

The participation does not depend on religion, colour, creed or race. The flags represent desires to be fulfilled or desires already fulfilled. They are referred to as promise flags. This night is referred to as the Small Hosay in St.

In St. James the processions come out at approximately p. On the ninth night, the big tadjahs, representing the tombs, are out on the street in St.