“Hosay is really commemorated in the tenth month, the Muharram month, and the big day is the day of Ashura; that is the night that the Hosay comes out.” The Tadjah comes out on the tenth night. Prayers start ten days before, and then on the eighth night, you have ‘Flag Day One,’ which is the most important day for the Hosay. The flag symbolizes the body. The small Tadjah is the coffin, and the large Tadjah is the tomb. The procession is a commemoration of the grandsons of the prophets. The Tadjah are supposed to be built within thirty days. You live in the Mumbara. The Mumbara is where you build the Tadjah.
When the Tadjah is being built, those who do the fast, try their best to do it from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Long ago you had older folks doing gatcar, which is a stick fight. They built something in commemoration of Hussain. The Tadjah is supposed to be built from our pockets. It is supposed to be a sacrifice.
( Compliments of Michael Goring a.k.a. “Mr. Hosay.” )
