The sun., 1909-02-28
PERSIAN SELF.IORlURBRS
THE HEAD CUTTING FESTIVAL
At CONSTANTINOPLE.
Mohamnnedan Fanatics VINO Hack Them
selves With swords and Knives or
lash Themselves With Chains In
Memory OF the PROPHETS GrAndsons.


known hos rs the Persian festival,
which took occasion TO attend yester-
cav -'e1lng with small party OF
Europeans Ia which there were t1o
ladies. The performance was to take
place at sdndown, when by the Moham
medan cc,ender the tenth day of In Q
month Of Muha-em begins.
Our litt!e pecty made its way in fall
ing snow up thu ough the twisting dirty
streets Of Stamboul to what is called the
Na'ide Khan. The word khan among the
Turks ia much like the word "hof" in Ger
many, that Is to say, it might apply to a
small tavern where one puts up for the
night to railway station. a Government
building. or a quarter more or less en-
closed where many people live. In the
last sense the term "kh,n" applies in the
present case
The valid@ Khan is in the heart Of the
Persian colony, 1t is a square surrounded
by an ancient stone wall. still battle
Tnented in places. but crumbling along
most Of the top and left demolished in
one corner where /, fell during fire two
years or more ago.
Through the wall from the marrow
surrounding streets two or three low arch
ways lead into the square. In the centre
Is Persian Shiite mosque. with dozen
squa'id. crowded shops tucked into its
basement. viii. around the walls Of the
square a'e osher diminutive shops with
low upper stories, where the shopk keepers
and their iImi les i've. The quarter Is
ono Of the most Eastern in appearance
Of any in the TCrhi'h capital,
II was dismal hour when we entered
the square through a tunnellike archway.
The shop keepers had not vet liz their
smoky kerosene lsmps, and the motley
assembly Of Persians and Turks had
churned the white snow that lay upon
the ground into a thick, filthy slush,
for they hai already novel around the
square many times. some roping on the
roa iway. others hurrying through from
arch 20 arch with bolts of white and black
cotton and th, crowd Of idle onlookers
following 20 watch anybody who had
any work TO do.
To get ont OF the snow and the cold
we pushed aside the flaps Of a vast tent
where we thought the performance would
take place, but as soon as We had found
stools and placed them near a pulpit
such as one sees in mosque an old
Nlohammedan made us leave them. tell
ing us in unintelligible words but I'M
mistakatle manner that we must clear
out Our crime was that OF Icing infidel.
Tor the tent, We learned later. was where
the devotees who were 10 torture them
selves we're exhorted nightly for nine
days before the event by the reading
of the story of how Hassan and Hussein.
the grandsons of the Prophet, were slain.
the one poisoned, the other killed in
Lattle. The tent had therefore the
,anctity Of a mosque.
When we pushed aside the flaps again
We found some new arrivals who raised
our failing courage-a party Of nearly
n hundred sailors from the -stationaires-
in the harbor, some OF them from the
T. S. S. Scorpion.
The fast fading ligh: and the call to
prayer by hoia on a minaret that over
looked the broken corner of the wall told
tire assembly thai the sun had set and
that the tenth day OF Muharem hal be-
gun. low murmur came from an arch
upon which all eyes were turned then ;
The clang Of cymbals and the slow beat +
piping Persian horns. The Instruments !
would clang their urmusical noise for
moment then the chant would lf:, COM
ing nearer; thea heave Of many stricken .
chests.
Two men bearing paper lanterns come
slowly out of the arch. Behind them cane
black robed figures carrying long poles
draped in Grape, with hrass crowns and
brass garlands at the top; then a double
line Of black robed men carrying black
and green triangular flags with Arabic
texts worked across them in silver. Each
fagbearer holds with one hand the point
OF the flag borne in front Of him. Al the
tops of the fagstafs are open hands in
brass.
The chanting. interrupted bv thuds and
heaves Of the chests, comes nearer. and
he fare OF torches begins to show through
the srchway. Three horses. the first Ca
parsoned in Grape, are led out by black
rohed men carrying axes Of the shape of
those used in Crusader days.
The second horse is canopie1 in white
cloth splatterei with blood Two long
sv ords crossed over its back are fastened
there, with two living doves lied 20 them.
For, according to the Moslem story. I
when Hrssein was killed fighting for the
faith his white horse covered with blood
came hack TO the tent Of his sister with ,
two white birds riding upon the saddle I
On the third horse sis n boy representing
clad in white and dripping
human blood.
Several priests with huge turbans I
now appear. Sometimes they wipe the
ears from their eyes, while one turning I
10 the followers. stops the chanting and !
he music and recites part of the story :
Dr., holding copy of the Koran in one 3
hand he may appear to reGd verse. c
{ does not matter that there is not light y.
enough for him to see the letters. for !,
very educated Mohemmedcn knows the r
,ook of the prophet word for word. t
The cymbals clsng again and the chant :
: renewed. In spite OF the cold the |,
,hests of the devotces who follow are r
,are: and at every bar of the chsnt they h
trike themselves blow which drives |
he breath from their bodies audibly.
Men carrying iron baskets Of fire on +,
'o.es illuminate the procession, for it o
meant 10 be specta cular and affecting. A
The first group OF self-torturers is COM a
'osed apparently Of very poor men, {
no cannot sford robes end perhaps :,
10 not possess swords: nevertheless r,