THE SURVIVAL OF ANCIENT RITUALS IN CONTEMPORARY ARAB COUNTRIES

• Authors: Mrozek-Dumanowska A.
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

The article aims at presenting three pre-Islamic rituals which are practiced till now in Arab countries. It was based on studies by major anthropological theorists, rituals' descriptions as well as on recent literature concentrating on the therapeutic benefits of ritual participation. In contemporary Muslim countries there still persist some pre-Islamic values and norms. Among them are the Bisha ritual or ordeal by fire, practiced by the Bedouin Arabs of the Negev, the contemporary practice of zar in Sudan as well as the woman's grief and lamentation over a loss of a loved person, in Awlad 'Ali Bedouin society in the Western Desert in Egypt. The Bisha ritual is used in order to resolve conflicts between two or more people and to restore a sense of mutually agreed-upon justice. It is practiced by traditional healers in Bedouin culture and is treated as the revealer of truth. It deals with the judgement of success or failure, guilt or innocence. The Bedouins apply this ritual to disputes over civil or criminal matters, of in situation where there is suspicion of wrongdoing. Zar is best known as a healing cult. Earlier interpretations saw it as an expression of psychological disorder, or as a therapeutic ritual for marginal members of society, mainly women. It is also presented as a specific system of communication, a type of counter-hegemony within the larger patriarchal society. Zar rituals have been banned in Sudan in 1992, but they are still unofficially practiced. An increasing number of women participating in zar activities confirms the development of zar rituals, which are flexible and open to new situations and problems. Women's funeral yatabako has a traditional character. The laments and songs of loss, as an expression of deep attachment, stand in uneasy relationship to Islamic piety. Islam is against laments and sometimes even grieving, because death should be accepted as God's will. However, some funeral blame God for the loss and describe the tension between religious virtue of patience and the difficulty of accepting somebody's death. In some Arab societies the old traditional beliefs and rituals are still present. They help to keep the sense of identity and social integration at the time of rapid changes. All described rituals have an ancient background, but they are able to link the traditional values and customs with the people's contemporary problems.

Keywords

EN

BISHA RITUAL; FUNERAL YATABAKO; ORDEAL BY FIRE; PRE-ISLAMIC RITUALS; WOMEN’S LAMENTATION; ZAR RITUALS

Discipline

• ANTHROPOLOGY: ANTHROPOLOGY

• Publisher: Instytut Kultur Śródziemnomorskich i Orientalnych PAN
• Journal: Hemispheres. Studies on Cultures and Societies
• Year: 2005
• Issue: 20
• Pages: 133-140
• Document type: ARTICLE

Contributors

author

Mrozek-Dumanowska A.

• A. Mrozek-Dumanowska, Zaklad Krajów Pozaeuropejskich PAN, ul. Nowy Swiat 72, 00-330 Warszawa, Poland

Identifiers

CEJSH db identifier

06PLAAAA01232821