| Hosay | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Also called | Hussey, Ashura, Taziya, Tadjah |
| Observed by | Shi’a and some Sunni Muslim Indo-Caribbeans in Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, Jamaica, and their diaspora |
| Significance | Commemoration of the Battle of Karbala, in which Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of Muhammad was slain in 680 CE |
| Date | 1-10 Muharram[1] |
| Frequency | Annually |
| Related to | Ashura, Mourning of Muharram, Tabuik |
| Part of a series on |
| Husayn |
|---|
Hosay (originally from Husayn) is a Muslim Indo-Caribbean commemoration that is popularly observed in Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and other Caribbean countries. 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 Islamic lunar calendar and in line with ten days of Ashura commemorated by Shia Muslims throughout the world. The last four days are the most popular as the first six days are days of fasting, prayer and building of the "Tadjahs" and "Moons".[3][4] Although Hosay was traditionally commemorated for Husain and was a Shi'a festival, its celebration in recent times has adopted all types of shades and characters from Sunni Islam and other religions including Hinduism, Christianity, Rastafari, Afro-American religions, and Kejawèn, making the modern event a mixture of different cultures and 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]
- ^ "First Ten Days of Muharram".
- ^ Hope, Green (26 March 1999), "BU prof wins mini-Oscar for film of ethnic rituals", B.U. Bridge Vo. II No. 28, Boston University
- ^ 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] Archived 2017-01-09 at the Wayback Machine - ^ "Festivals and Holidays". Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
- ^ "Hosay in Cedros". Trinidad Express. March 15, 2015. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
- ^ Jevan Soyer (2016). "Hosay in St. James – then and now". Sweet TnT Magazine. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
- ^ 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