The Newtown bee., 1879-08-06
THE DOSA.
A Horrible Mobammedan Ifite-A Sheik h
 Riding over Mems Prostrate Bodies.

| Mr. E. Griffin writes from Alexan-
 dria Egypt, to the New York ObserUer,
 as follows: The anniversary of the
 birth of the Prophet is carefully observed
 by the Moslems of Egypt. They do it
 by keeping a festival of whore week.
 giving to this week the name of the Birth, or the time of the birth. Their
 feasting, however, is largely of reli-
 gious character-that is, all the specta- cles of the week are generally connected
 with religion. These always take place in the open air or in tents, erected in some wide, open space on the outskirts of the city.
 Cairo is the stronghold of Islam in Egypt, and the Moolid, or natal festival there, is much the most noted one. Its crowning performance, the Dosa, or trampling, is not observed elsewhere, and annually attracts vast concourse to witness this triumph of fanaticism and
 barbarity. A space of twenty-five or thirty acres is selected for the tents. The ground was rather in the form of a basin, with Q level space in the center. All the streets leading to these grounds were closely lined on each side with small tents, filled with colored candies and brilliantly lighted with many lan- terms. Within the grounds there were hundreds of tents with rows of lanterns hung along the fridge poles" and across the open fronts, and here and there were pavilions, tents and various pretty de- signs merely outlined with ropes and then hung with lanterns at regular in- tervals. The effect at little distance was as if the designs had been made with stars.
 The Dosa always takes place at one o'clock P. M., as the sheikh and the de- voices must all pray in the great mosque precisely at noon, the sheikh continuing long enough for the devotees to reach the ground and take position before his arrival. We went early, and yet we found ourselves compelled to stop be- hind a TOW of carriages, three or four deep, backed up to a wide, street.-The space, several hundred yards long, in which the devotees were to be laid. Sol- diers were everywhere present to pre- serve the line, but when the carriages of the Viceroy's family and those of the various great Pashas drove up, they were conducted inside the street and langed two or three deep along the sides. Each carriage contained two richly dressed ladies, their faces covered with Swiss kerchiefs, in tine Turkish fashion, which displays their magnificent black eyes in the most coquettish manner. The Niceroy himself drove down about noon in very dashing style, and was conducted to a handsome tent which had been placed for him. He had not attended for a long time previously, but 1t Is now his policy to be very religious.
 At last the devotees appeared in a body, chanting and swaying their bodies as if unable to be still. Friends accompanied them and assisted them to stand. The impression they desire to make is that they are in 9 religious frenzy through the greatness of their faith and the in tensity of their devotions in the mosque. But unbelievers roundly assert that large part of the devotions consist in getting themselves well under the infiu- ence of hashee&h. They were laid one by one in the middle of the street. their faces downward, resting on their arms, and as closely packed as possible We supposed they numbered between three and four hundred. All of them belonged to the lowest classes of society, and this remark will apply to any Moslem procession that I have ever seen. Our carriage driver said he had "lain down. three times.
 The horse which the sheikh rides is kept on purpose for this use The great est care and attention is lavished upon him, and his sacred back never bears any other rider. He was about the or dinary size and in very fine condition. Many attendants accompanied the sheikh. He held the reins, but was hi.nselt held in the saddle by two or three grasping him on each side. He was an old man, and one might have supposed his neck broken, from the man. ner in which his head rolled from side to side. This is to indicate that his thoughts are in heaven, that his eleva- tion of soul is overpowering his body. When he reached the end of the line of devotees there was some delay. When all was in readiness, two men supported the sheikh and four men took hold of the bridle, two on each side, and liter ally pulled the unwilling animal over the backs of the victims. Sometimes his feet would slip between the bodies, and then the rocking of the old sheikh was painful to see. Just as soon as the horse passed, those who had been tramped were jerked up and carried off into the tents. If their faith is strong, they cannot be hurt, but some of these cried out in great pain, and were imme- diately cursed by Moslem bystanders for lnfidels. It is horrible sight, which few wish to witness second time