e tomb of Hussain. These tadjahs range in height from 10 to 30 feet and are hauled through the streets on parade days accompanied by the beating of drums (tassas) and two standards in the shape of half-moons, each carried separately on the shoulder of one man at a time. The half-moons (one red and one green) symbolize the deaths of both Hussain and his brother Hassan; red for the blood of Hussain that was shed at Karbala and green for the poisoning of Hassan, 11 years earlier. The drums and flags are symbolic of those used in wars in the 7th century.|
In St. James, the main parade of tadjahs takes place along the Western Main Road on the 10th day of Muharram; this day is called Aashura. Aashura is the "Day of Atonement" for all Muslims and was observed long before the martyrdom of Hussain which, coincidentally, occurred on the same day. The three days preceding Aashura are also filled with parades, as laid out in the Table (Hosay Events) below.
Prior to 1996, there were only four Hosays before the Emamali and Bisnath families decided to build separate tadjahs. The order of the tadjahs in the parades is inviolable and is based on longevity as follows: (1) Panchayatee (Bay Road) Hosay - belonging to the entire Shiite community and located on Mathura Street (previously on Bay Road); (2) Ghulam Hussein Hosay - named after one of the local icons of Hosay and located on Western Main Road; (3) Cocorite Hosay - belonging to the community of Cocorite at the western end of St. James; (4) Balma Hosay - belonging to the Emamali family and located on Clarence Street; and (5) Bisnath Hosay - belonging to the Bisnath family and located on Bournes Road.
Every year, the procession follows a set route that is believed to retrace the path that was used for the event when St. James was a plantation during the middle of the 19th century: east on Western Main Road to Serpentine Road, Hayes Street, and Queen's Royal College (QRC), before returning to St. James along the same route. The procession starts from St. James early enough to reach the campus of QRC by 3:30 p.m., the time that Hussain was martyred in Karbala. At QRC, the only publicly visible religious aspect of Hosay is displayed with the reading of the funeral (genesa) prayer. (See picture at left.) On the 13th day of Muharram (Teejah Day), the Hosays are hauled to the seaside in Cocorite and broken up. Click Here to view a video of the November 2012 Hosay parade in St. James, Trinidad.
|1st Day of Muharram||Prayers||As the construction of the tadjahs continues, prayer meetings are held at each Hosay site (yard).|
|7th Day of Muharram||Flag Night||This is the first night of processions on the streets and representatives from each Hosay yard parade with flags and drums.|
|8th Day of Muharram||Little Hosay Night||This is the second night of processions when small replicas of the two tombs (hosays) of Hussain and Hassan are paraded on the streets with the beating of drums.|
|9th Day of Muharram||Big Hosay Night||The tadjahs are brought into public view for the first time, together with standards in the shape of half-moons, and are paraded on the streets with the beating of drums.|
|10th Day of Muharram (Aashura)||Kerbala Day||This is the final parade day.|
|13th Day of Muharram||Teejah Day||The tadjahs are taken to the sea in Cocorite and broken up.|
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