KRISTY RAMNARINE
Artist/Caterer Marisa Joseph is the creator of a Small Hosay traditionally crafted by men.
The Small Hosay or Tadjah can be seen at the Hosay yard, corner of Panker and Clarence Street in St. James.
The annual Hosay or Muharram celebrations continue tonight with Big Hosay from 10.30 p.m. Big Hosay Day will be observed tomorrow from 11 a.m. Flag night was held on Wednesday, while Small Hosay was observed on Thursday.
“I grew up on Clarence Street between Western Main Road and Panker Street,” said Joseph.
“I am a Roman Catholic however religion does not matter in St. James. Hosay is a religious observation but it is one, which has become very community oriented. As children in St James, we would run to see the drums. Over the years my family would help out with the material for the displays.
“Art has always been my passion and I was just captivated by the creativity of Hosay.”
It’s the reason Joseph became involved in crafting a Tadjah herself.
Multi-coloured model mausoleums or mosque-shaped model tombs known as tadjah are used to display the symbolic part of Hosay in Trinidad and Tobago.
“This is the second year I have made the Small Hosay but I have helped out with the creation of others in the past,” Joseph added.
“Creating a Small Hosay in 40 days involves many different elements of the arts – the colours and craftsmanship involved. It is created by using everyday materials as well.”
Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar and is usually marked by fasting and prayer.
It is the commemoration of the Martyrdom of Hussein (Hussain), the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed, his younger brother Janab Hazrat Abass (Hassan), and 70 other friends and relatives.
In 679 AD, on the 10th day of the month of Muharram (known as Ahsura), Hussein, his family and companions were ambushed on the way to Kufa because he would not pledge allegiance to Yazid, the second son of Umayyad Caliph.
Shia Muslims, grieving the circumstances of the slaughter of Hussein and his family, mourn their deaths for ten days annually during the month of Muharram. On the 10th day, Imam Hussein’s slaughter and final martyrdom are commemorated in a dramatic procession on the streets.
According to the National Archives Muharram came to Trinidad and Tobago as an ‘Indian’ celebration (since both Muslims and Hindus participated) and evolved to include the wider community to become a ‘Trinidad’ observance.
The first noted observance of Hosay was in 1847 in the streets of San Fernando, in South Trinidad, and there is evidence of Hosay celebrations in Chaguanas and St. James from as far back as 1865.
Prior to the Muharram Massacre in 1884, Hosay celebrations were observed annually in the towns of Sangre Grande, Brazil/Talparo, Arouca, Tacarigua (Dinsley Village), Tunapuna, Curepe, San Juan, St. James, Cunupia, Chaguanas, Couva, Princes Town and Cedros.
