WIRSHATO: THE GOURD-SMASHING CEREMONY

Title

WIRSHATO: THE GOURD-SMASHING CEREMONY See all items with this value

Description

ABSTRACT On Ashura, the tenth day of the Islamic month of Muharram, Hararis celebrateWirshato, a gourd-smashing ceremony that commemorates the prohibition of alcohol indicatedby the Prophet Muhammad. During the ceremony, young boys run around the city holdingsticks and singing the Wirshato song; when they enter the house compounds, they are giventraditional gourds, habitually employed to contain liquids. The boys hence smash the gourdwith their sticks and make toys out of the broken pieces, to symbolize the benefi ts that deriveby breaking bad habits. Other members of the community take part in the festivities by donatinggourds and by feasting on porridge to usher in abundance for the coming year. This briefpaper will show how the activities surrounding the Wirshato ceremony in Harar are concernedwith the concept of renewal and are derived from Islamic and customary sources.

Identifier

58

76

Uploaded Date (Original EH)

2017-02-08

Uploaded By (Original EH)

adminss

Date

2010 See all items with this value

Author

Abdulmuheimen Abdulnassir See all items with this value

Type

Articles