Police did not attempt to stop it in St. James but at San Fernando, 22 people were killed by shots fired by the police to disperse the crowd. It happened on October 30 th , and is commonly referred to as the Muhurram Massacre. The ten-day period begins with six days of fasting, prayer meetings and work on the construction and decorations of tadjahs. The tadjahs are expertly crafted from bamboo, multi-coloured paper, tinsel and glass and some can be up to ten-fifteen feet tall.
Hundreds of devotees walk through the streets carrying multi-coloured flags to symbolize the beginning of the Battle of Kerbala in which the brothers lost their lives. On the second night of processions, small tadjahs are carried slowly through the streets to the sound of throbbing Tassa drums. They are symbolic of war drums and played in set rhythms that are common throughout the world.
The larger tadjahs are carried throughout the street and the procession is accompanied by tassa drummers. Two moons representing Husayn and Hassan are built and carried by special dancers.
On the last day, there is a parade of tadjahs made by the different communities and tassa drumming through the St. James district. It is then moored overnight and dismantled on land the next morning. Photo by Giancarlo Lalsingh. Due to the Coronavirus health protocols to prevent the spread of the virus, communities in Trinidad will have to celebrate Hosay differently. Unfortunately, the street processions that so many members of the community and the general public enjoy each year will not take place, with much of it taking placing indoors and only 10 people permitted to view the tadjahs at any time.
A Hosay tadjah in St. Photographer: Edison Boodoosingh. This lively Trinidadian incarnation of Islamic Muharram observances, celebrated chiefly by the Shia Muslim community, was brought to the island by Indian indentured immigrants , who came to Trinidad between and to work the sugar plantations. It lasts for 10 days, coming to a climax over the final three nights Flag Night, Small Hosay, Big Hosay , and a lively procession on the final day.
Exquisitely made tadjahs and crescent moons are first carried through the street, then in part cast into the sea following the final day procession. The name, Hosay, is an onomatopoeic rendition of the name of the man the observances commemorate. The celebrations welcome and are attended by many in the national community, Muslims and non-Muslims alike. A UF Ph. A throng of Trinidadians line up along the streets of St. James and Cedros to admire the vibrant floats with beautifully bedecked models of mausoleums.
Their destination is the waters of the Caribbean, where the crowds will push them out to float. This is part of the Hosay commemorations, a religious ritual performed by Trinidadian Muslims, that I have observed as part of the research for my forthcoming book on Islam in Latin America and the Caribbean.
What fascinates me is how a practice from India has been transformed into something uniquely Caribbean. Ashura, the 10th day of Muharram, is marked by public mourning and a re-enactment of the tragedy. Shiite Muslims put on passion plays that include inflicting suffering, as a way to remember Hussein. Every year, Hosay is observed with a parade full of colourful tadjahs in commemoration of the martyrdom of Husayn also spelled Hussein and Hassan, the grandsons of Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam.
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