The Thousand and One Nights, Vol. I.: Commonly Called the Arabian Nights' Entertainments
General
The Thousand and One Nights, Vol. I.: Commonly Called the Arabian Nights' Entertainments
Fairy tales; Tales -- Arab countries
On the Great Festival, after the prayers of the congregation, every one
who can afford it performs, with his own hand, or by that of a deputy, a
sacrifice of a ram, he-goat, cow or buffalo, or she-camel; part of the
meat of which he eats, and part he gives to the poor, or to his friends
or dependants. The ram or goat should be at least one year old; the cow
or buffalo, two years; and the camel, five years; and the victim should
not have any considerable mutilation or infirmity. A cow or buffalo, or
a camel, is a sufficient sacrifice for seven persons. The clothes which
were put on new at the former festival are generally worn on this
occasion; and the presents which are given to servants and others are
usually somewhat less.
On each of the two festivals it is also customary, especially with the
women, to visit the tombs of relations. The party generally take with
them a palm-branch, and place it, broken in several pieces, or merely
its leaves, upon the tomb or monument; or some, instead of this, place
sweet basil or other flowers. They also usually provide themselves with
sweet cakes, bread, dates, or some other kind of food, to distribute to
the poor. But their first duty, on arriving at the tomb, is to recite
the Fáteḥah (the opening Chapter of the Ḳur-án), or to employ a person
to recite previously a longer chapter; generally the thirty-sixth (or
Soorat Yá-Seen); or even the whole of the book: or sometimes the
visiters recite the Fáteḥah, and, after having hired a person to perform
a longer recitation, go away before he commences. The women often stay
all the days of the festival in the cemeteries, either in tents, or in
houses of their own, erected there for their reception on these and
other occasions. The tent of each party surrounds the tomb which is the
object of their visit. In the outskirts of the cemeteries, swings and
whirligigs are erected; and story-tellers, dancers, and jugglers, amuse
the populace.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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