HOSAY

A traditional Shia Muslim festival that arrived with the indentured Indians brought to Jamaica in the years following emancipation, Hosay (oft-pronounced Hussay) used to be held in communities of significant East Indian populations across the island, including Kingston, Spanish Town, Sav-la-Mar, and Port Maria. Known as Moharram in other countries where the festival is observed, Hosay is today held only in Clarendon, with a procession from Lionel Town to the banks of the Rio Minho taking place every August.

Traditionally, Mahorram participants mourn the Prophet Mohammed's martyr grandsons Hosain and Hasan by whipping themselves and praying as they follow the Tazia or Tadjah, a giant bamboo and paper replica of the slain Hosain, with dancing and stick fighting until the figure is set on the river or sea to float away.

In the Caribbean, the festival has been creolized, starting with its name change, which derives from the chanting of Hosain during the festivities -- interpreted as Hosay. The original dates of the festival were also changed from the first 10 days of the lunar cycle in January February to August September, when there was less work on the sugar estates and more time to allow for the personal pursuits of the workers. To a large extent the festival lost its religious connotations in Jamaica even while it was observed by non-Muslims in India as well. It has been suggested that the festival today represents an affirmation and remembrance of the struggle of the participants' ancestors as they left the lives they knew to come toil on the sugar estates. The festival is also observed in Suriname, Guyana, and Trinidad, also former sugar colonies where Indians were brought as cheap labor. Contact the Museum of Ethnography at the IOJ in Kingston for more information (tel. 876/922-0620, ioj.jam@mail.infochan.com, www.instituteofjamaica.org.jm).