Issiq Hafta
Issiq Hafta
Embedded Files
Definition
Definition
Author: Dr Maia
Published: March 17th 2024
Keywords: Traditions, Holidays, Religions.
Like most religions, the Selaiki too have their own means of fasting. Historians and non-profit museums have graciously provided to us with documents from the 11th century which gives us a look at Janchrichism and its practices. This article will be covering ‘Issiq Hafta’, which starts on the day when Jantarah[1] cast out a third of the Selaiki population from Chandra[2].
Issiq Hafta begins on the same day as Ramadan, coincidentally. It lasts until the first quarter of a lunar cycle is observed in the next month. That makes Issiq Hafta a month and a half, which makes it slightly longer than Ramadan. Selaiki will abstain from consuming any food until the sun has fully set, at which they will begin to break their fast and hold prayers facing the direction of the moon in the east.
Selaikic historical records describe that small Selaikic towns break their fast together in a communal building known as a ‘tezxona’ ( الصيام كوخ( . These buildings were massive, almost the size of a mosque. The community would make food for a collective rather than just for themselves, and would indulge till they go back to sleep. In villages, this was done in massive mudhifs.
At the end of Issiq Hafta, Selaikis will gather at their nearest pishtaq’s and begin with a mass prayer, thanking their Goddess for the food and continuing to watch over them as their race’s only guardian. Finally, they begin festivities, hosting a plethora of different forms of entertainment. Dancing being the most popular, however they aren’t just your average belly dancer.
Known as a raqqosa ( راقصة( , these dancers often were only seen at the end of Issiq Hafta. They were women dressed in large, white niqabs with gold lining and excessive jewelry. The niqabs would usually cover their entire upper body and front, but in doing so accentuated the dancer’s hips and rear. They were seen by the Selaiki as the representation of their homeland, and the embodiment of Chandra itself.
As the festivities on the last day of Issiq Hafta come to a close, a priest known as an imonli (ىَولْمَ) will lead the entire hall into another prayer to their goddess Jantarah, hoping one day they may absolve the sins of their ancestors and be reunited with their kinship on Chandra
Footnotes
Footnotes
[1] Jantarah is a Selaikic god worshiped in Janchirhcism as being the gatekeeper to the Chandra and their watcher across the earth.
[2] Chandra is a name given to their place of origin located on the moon. They described Chandra as not an afterlife but the original homeland of the selaiki and of their ancestors.
Selaiki prostrating before a idol of Jantarah.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse