Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-02-27

Revolving Incidents of the festiVAi IN
Honor of the Saint MOulOud.

From a SGBi t1oroccol Letter.
sam Is perhaps the least known, but
witbal. on account Of its picturesque
situation and traditions, the most inter
esting Of the seaport towns OF Morocco
Here is TO be found the ancient palace,
still in a good state Of preservation, OF q
"Sultan-Ogre," named Moulay Hezzid'
who was in the habit OF decapltsting his
demestics to play at bowes with tnelr
heads. This monster, surnamed "hed-
beard a characteristic derived from MS
mothers race, was the son Of MOuiay
M0hammed ben Abdullah, who maTTleu
an Irish woman, the widow OF an hhkIlsn
Sergeant Of the line, who died mere some
lime in the year 1880. Satii is also one VI
the holy cities Of the Moorish EmPIi ,
and in consequence is throngeu WIZ WIZ
ragged but sanity individuals, VINO IhIiVe
on the charity or the devout. During the
Mohammedan holiday Of Mouloud, Whlcn
was celebrated on Dec. - ana ~, ana
which embraces a fair held yearly IN
honor of that saint so dear 10 all Mussul-
mans. t'Moulay Abd-el-hader Glliey-el-ba-
rdady," the Europeans resident mere were
the shuddering spectators Oh inc l le..a;,
IONS frenzy exhibited by the "Aiss0wa"
and stHamadsha," or 'Hamdoushy," on
the occasion of their public professions,
which are also conducted in this holiday.
THE ssAissowa" are of the brotherhood OF
',MOulay ben Aissa," saint OF great
favor among the Moors. 1t is pretended
that their manifestations, which include
enake-charming and juggling, rldlcule
the miracles of Jesus Christ, and this pre-
posterous statement is accepted by the
MOOrs as sufficient explanation Of the
Vagaries. The "Hamadsha" are the dis
oiplinants of one Sidi Abb ben HamdOush
whose gowia is situated on Mount Le-
brouan, near the city OF MequineZ. IL Is
their practice. on the occasion OF religious
festivities, to throw cannOn-balls into the
air. which they receive on their bare
heads, and to infiiot gashes upon their
persons with a small AK.
The holiday Of Mouloud is accompanied
by the displays of religious enthusiasts
throughout his Shereetian Majesty the /
Sultan of MoroccO's dOminions, but at no
other port DO these fanatics amuse them |
selves with such ferocity as at sam, |
where the righteousness OF their behavior |
renders it extremely dangerous Tor |
Christian or Jew to cross their path dur |
lng certain hours OF the day. Even the |
Mussulman spectators stand with naked |
feet. fearing the EAissowa," for lack of |
prev, should seize and devour their shoes.
None but an eyewitness can conceive the |
degrading scenes which occur during |
these processions; and none, even the
enactoTs, can derive enjoyment thereirom.
The s.Aissowa" are naked to the waist
and wear their hair so that when neces-
sary it covers the face. The "Hamadsha,"
on the contrary, are shaver, as is the
custom of Mohammedans. The princi-
pal performers assemble at their repec-
tive sowias or chapels in town, and sally
forth attended by the ''geTnOwa,"
blacks, who are usually the musicians
Of the party. They beat tom-toms and play
IN instrument whose tones IL is impOssi-
BILE to describe on paper. Suffice it to
say, the student Of this instrument is not
allowed to pursue his practice in town,
but has to play in a solitary and distant
spot until proficient. This will convey
some impression of the music impaired
to listeners by this barbarous hageolet.
As the processiOnists warm with excite
ment, then commences the fun of the fair.
The AissOwa seize any live animal in
sight. be it cat, dog, goat, or sheep.
Goats are usually provided for these Occa-
siOns. by admirers. They tear them to
pieces, and vie one with another to de-
YOUR the bleeding morsels OF flesh. They
struggle, rolling over and over upon the
ground, shouting, leaping and gesticu-
lating. They wave the entrails and skins
of their victims IN the faces OF their COM
rades, who try to seize the prey with
their teeth or set their faces in the reek-
ing mass. just behind and around are
the ''Hamadsha," covered with blood and \
mire, singing their quaint and not I'M
graceful hymn, and ehopping themselves /
to the cadence Of the music.
Such is the strange behavior of these |
fraternities on high days and holidays. |
After parading the town by day, in the |
evening these zealots return to their sane
tuary, where a supper is provided for
their edihcation. 1t Is worthy Of note
that their most exciting beverage is
green tea, taken with a large quantity of
sugar and favored with mint. The
supper is followed by a pipe OF ''keefe''
1.-THE leaves OF the hemp plant, which
forms an agreeable sedative after the ex-
elements Of the afternoon.