The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1894-07-27
NEW YEAR IN PERSIA.
Revolving Sights Seen by a Trav-
eler at Teheran.
Religious Fanaticism Carried to a Point
Almost Beyond Belief-History OF
the Festival and the Great
Oriental Passion Play.
Especial letter.

Especial letter.
In Persia, as well as in the other Mo-
hammedan countries, the calendar
year begins with the month of Mohar-
sem. That falls, however, in different
seasons, each year other than in the pre-
ceding one. The first ten days of Mo-
fiarrem are kept sacred, and among the
Sheeites, the sect to which the Persians
belong, the tenth day is the greatest
holiday of all. For on that day, &C
cording to Islam, Allah drove Adam
and Eve out of paradise, Noah left his
ark, and the slaughter of Kerbelah
Cook place. The aforementioned event,
at least, really occurred on that day in
the year 81 of the Moslem era, and
during it Hussein, the son of Ali, whom
the Sheeites regard as the rightful ca
iiph and successor of Mohammed, was
cruelty murdered and mutilated, his
head being subsequently taken to Cairo.
where it is even to-day immured in one
of the columns Of the Mosque of Hus-
sein and Hassan, the chief temple of
the Sheeites in Africa. As the whole
schism within the Moslem church dates
from the death of that young man, and
aimee the Sheeites look upon Hussein
ms holy martyr and upon his father,
Ali, as the founder of their religion,
the tenth day of Moharrem is what
Good Friday is with the Christians.
Everywhere throughout that part of
the world where Sheeites exist in large
numbers, the tenth of Moharrem is,
therefore, kept with strange ceremo-
mics. In Persia there are theatrical rep
RESERVATIONS of the martyrdom of Hus-
sein and Hassan on that day, as well as
weird and awful street professions. i
witnessed the performance in the Royal
theater in Teheran-in reality, though,
not theater, but an amphitheater, re-
sembling somewhat the ancient Roman
circus
I These performances areeven more re-
1alistic and impressive than the Oberau-
mer-gau Passion play, to which, in some
respects, they bear a striking resem-
blance. The few female parts are
taken by young, smooth-faced boys,
who are attired in feminine apparel
and all of the actors are volunteers, it
being held n great honor to participate.
Audiences of from ten thousand to
thirty thousand are not seldom on such
occasions, and as the play, when per-
kocmed in its entirety, lasts several
days, it is not an unalloycd pleasure, in
view of broiling sun overhead and the
lack of comfortable accommodations,
20 witness it. The costumes used
throughout are historically correct and
of the costliest kind. That is also true
of the weapons, armors, etc, even
unto the magnificent horses that play
a part in the drama which is slowly I'M
folding and which ends in the Staying
OF Hussein and the wild and desperate
wailing over his death.
As this performance is the only kind
Of theatrical entertainment in vogue
among the Mohammcdans, it is inter
.esting to note some of its peculiarities.
TIE story of the play is told, either in Q
'slngsong tone bya single narrator who
employs poetic diction in his task, Or
else its burden is further elaborated
and carried on at times by a chorus of
from twenty to fifty. Thus the child
Aood, the joys and adventures of the
two brothers Hassan' and Hussein,
=zith incidental mention OF their
father, the Caliph Ali, are POLITICALLY
presented, often in words of great
beauty and tenderness
When it comes to the point where
Hassan is killed at the behest of the
usurping c2liph and Hussein fees
with handful of faithful followers in
20 the Syrian desert and at last is over
t=l-en by large force of Arabs sent
out by She caliph, and the final strug-
gle takes place, during which Hussein
Is stabbed to death on his horse, but
later on crawls on his hands and knees
80 4 shady spot under a palm tree,
suffering the pangs of thirst and the
Blood running from his frightful
wounds, the intensity of feeling among
She audience always wakes to q dan
=gerous point Their religious fanati-
cism, much stronger than with the less
excitable Turks, who are Sumistes,
often reaches the point of frenzy. The
actor representing Hussein invariably
slabs and mutilatcs himself. so that
all may see the blood squirting forth
from his wounds and many in the au-
dienee emulate his example. while dur
ing the fierce melee which is supposed
20 mean the massacre of Kerbelah,
desths and severe injuries due to the
too realistic use of their curved sabers
and Khandjars Qarge daggers) occur
gnxariably at the larger performances
In the important towns To all this is
added the piercing wall of the yelled
vxonen in the audience. and the weep
Ing and sobbing Of the multitude, who
cry cat IA e veritable access of sorrow
and fury;
AL All Allah Poor Hussein! Poor
Haasaai Gould but help theel Al!