No other ceremonies worthy of notice were performed on the day of the Dóseh. The absence of the Ghawázee rendered the festival less merry than it used to be.
In the ensuing night, that which is properly called the night of the Moolid, I went again to the principal scene of the festival. Here I witnessed a zikr performed by a ring of about sixty darweeshes round the sáree. The moon was sufficient, without the lamps, to light up the scene. The darweeshes who formed the ring round the sáree were of various orders; but the zikr which they performed was of a kind usual only among the order of the Beiyoomeeyeh. In one act of this zikr the performers exclaimed, “Yá Alláh!” (“O God!”), and, at each exclamation, first bowed their heads, crossing their hands at the same time before their breasts; then raised their heads, and clapped their hands together before their faces. The interior of the ring was crowded with persons sitting on the ground. The zikkeers continued as above described about half an hour. Next, they formed companies of five or six or more together; but still in the form of a large ring. The persons in these several companies held together, each (with the exception of the foremost in the group) placing his left arm behind the back of the one on his left side, and the hand upon the left shoulder of the latter: all facing the spectators outside the ring. They exclaimed “Alláh!” in an excessively deep and hoarse voice;[[542]] and at each exclamation took a step, one time forwards, and the next time backwards; but each advancing a little to his left at every forward step; so that the whole ring revolved; though very slowly. Each of the zikkeers held out his right hand to salute the spectators outside the ring; most of whom, if near enough, grasped, and sometimes kissed, each extended hand as it came before them.—Whenever a zikr is performed round the sáree, those in the tents cease. I witnessed one other zikr this night, a repetition of that of the preceding night in the Sook El-Bekree. There was nothing else to attract spectators or hearers, excepting the reciters of romances.—The festival terminated at the morning-call to prayer; and all the zikrs, except that in the Sook El-Bekree, ceased about three hours after midnight. In the course of the following day, the káïm, sáree, tents, etc., were removed.
CHAPTER XXV.
PERIODICAL PUBLIC FESTIVALS, ETC.—continued.
It might seem unnecessary to continue a detailed account of the periodical public festivals and other anniversaries celebrated in Egypt, were it not that many of the customs witnessed on these occasions are every year falling into disuse, and have never, hitherto, been fully and correctly described. Hoping that this apology will be accepted, I proceed.
During a period of fifteen nights and fourteen days in the month of “Rabeea et-Tánee” (the fourth month), the mosque of the Hasaneyn is the scene of a festival called “Moolid El-Hasaneyn,” celebrated in honour of the birth of El-Hoseyn, whose head, as I have before mentioned, is said to be there buried. This Moolid is the most famous of all those celebrated in Cairo, excepting that of the Prophet. The grand day of the Moolid El-Hasaneyn is always a Tuesday; and the night which is properly called that of the Moolid is the one immediately ensuing, which is termed that of Wednesday: this is generally about five or six weeks after the Moolid en-Nebee; and concludes the festival. This present year (I am writing at the time of the festival which I here describe, in the year of the Flight 1250, A.D. 1834), the eve of the 21st of the month having been fixed upon as the night of the Moolid, the festival began on the eve of the 7th. On the two evenings preceding the eve of the 7th, the mosque was lighted with a few more lamps than is usual; and this is customary in other years; but these two nights are not distinguished like those which follow.
On each of the fifteen great nights before mentioned, the mosque is illuminated with a great number of lamps, and many wax candles; some of which latter are five or six feet high, and very thick. This illumination is made, on the first night, by the názir (or warden) of the mosque, from the funds of the mosque: on the second night, by the governor of the metropolis (at present Habeeb Efendee): on the following nights by the sheykhs of certain orders of darweeshes; by some of the higher officers of the mosque; and by wealthy individuals. On each of these nights, those shops at which eatables, sherbet, etc., are sold, as well as the coffee-shops, in the neighbourhood of the mosque, and even many of those in other quarters, remain open until near morning; and the streets in the vicinity of the mosque are thronged with persons lounging about, or listening to musicians, singers, and reciters of romances. The mosque is also generally crowded. Here we find, in one part of the great portico, a company of persons sitting on the floor in two rows, facing each other, and reading, altogether, certain chapters of the Kur-án. This is called a “makra.” Sometimes there are several groups thus employed. In another place we find a similar group reading, from a book called “Deláïl el-Kheyrát,” invocations of blessing on the Prophet. Again, in other places, we find a group of persons reciting particular forms of prayer; and another, or others, performing a zikr, or zikrs. Winding about among these groups, (whose devotional exercises are performed for the sake of El-Hoseyn), or sitting upon the matting, are those other visitors whom piety, or curiosity, or the love of amusement, brings to this venerated sanctuary. There is generally an assembly of darweeshes or others in the saloon of the tomb (which is covered by the great dome, and is hence called the “kubbeh”) reciting forms of prayer, etc.; and the visitors usually enter the saloon to perform the ceremonies of reciting the Fát’hah, and compassing the shrine; but the most frequented part is the great portico, where the zikrs, and most of the other ceremonies, are performed.
Every night during this festival, we see Ishárahs, or processions of darweeshes, of one or more sects, passing through the streets to the mosque of the Hasaneyn, preceded by two or more men with drums, and generally with hautboys, and sometimes with cymbals also; accompanied by bearers of mesh’als; and usually having one or more lanterns. They collect their party on their way, at their respective houses. Whenever they pass by the tomb of a saint, their music ceases for a short time, and they recite the Fát’hah, or a form of blessing on the Prophet, similar to that preparatory to the zikr, which I have translated in my account of the Moolid of the Prophet. They do this without stopping. Arriving at the mosque, they enter; some of them with candles; visit the shrine; and go away; with the exception of their sheykh and a few others, who sometimes remain in the kubbeh, and join in reciting prayers, etc.
One of the nights which offer most attractions is that of the Friday (that is, preceding the Friday) next before the night of the Moolid. It is the night of the sheykh El-Góharee, a person of wealth, who illuminates the mosque on this occasion with an unusual profusion of lights. On this night I went to the mosque about two hours after sunset, before any of the ceremonies had commenced. The nearer I approached the building, the more crowded did I find the streets. In one place were musicians: before a large coffee-shop were two Greek dancing-boys, or “gink,” elegant but effeminate in appearance, with flowing hair, performing to the accompaniment of mandolines played by two of their countrymen; and a crowd of admiring Turks, with a few Egyptians surrounding them. They performed there also the evening before; and, I was told, became so impudent from the patronage they received, as to make an open seizure of a basket of grapes in the street.
On entering the mosque, I found it far more crowded than usual; more so than on the preceding nights; but the lights were scarcely more numerous than those sometimes seen in an English church; and the chandeliers and lamps of the most common kind. A loud and confused din resounded through the great portico; and there was nothing as yet to be seen or heard, and indeed little afterwards, that seemed suited to a religious festival. A great number of Turks, and some persons of my own acquaintance, were among the visitors. I first sat down to rest with one of my friends, a bookseller, and several of his fellow-darweeshes, who were about to perform a zikr, at which he was to preside. I was treated by them with coffee; for which I had to pay by giving the munshids a piaster. Soon after they had begun their zikr, which was similar to the first which I have described in the account of the Moolid of the Prophet, I got up to visit the shrine, and to saunter about. Having paid my visit, I returned from the saloon of the tomb, in which was a large assembly of darweeshes reciting prayers, sitting in the form of a square, as large as the saloon would admit, with the exception of that part which contained the shrine. On re-entering the great portico, I perceived a great disturbance; numbers of persons were pressing to one point, at a little distance from me, and I heard a man crying out, “Nasránee! Káfir!” (“Christian! Infidel!”). Concluding that one of the visitors had been discovered to be a Christian, I expected a great uproar; but on asking one of the bystanders what had occurred, I was told that these words were only used as terms of insult by one Muslim to another who had given him some offence. An officer of the mosque came running from the kubbeh, with a staff in his hand, and soon restored order; but whether he expelled both, or either, of the persons who occasioned the disturbance, I could not discover; and I thought it prudent, in my case, to ask no further questions. By the entrance of the kubbeh was a party reading, in a very loud voice, and in concert, the Deláïl, before mentioned. After standing for a few minutes to hear them, though the confusion of their voices rendered it impossible for me to distinguish many words that they uttered, I returned to the zikr which I had first attended.