الأفراح والأحزان في حمص ٧_a .. كتاب حمص

In the lawsuit filed by Abdo bin Saleh bin Ubaid against the father of his fiancée Adul bint Muhammad bin Ismail al-Rahma, a resident of the village of Deir Baalba, he stated that six years ago, before he went to the military, he had proposed to Adul al-Dankoura from her father for a dowry of two thousand grosgrains and similar furniture. One of the men mentioned that His witness, called Ibrahim bin Hassan: “And his aforementioned father gave her, by way of confession and returns, Eid gifts, five-dollar coins, the rent of doves, the price of handkerchiefs, and items for clothing, rosaries, caps, and so on. The value of all of that is /695/grash, and it is considered part of the original dowry in advance!!!”

This custom is specific to the people of the village of Deir Baalba, while gifts in the city are not considered the basis of the dowry. The date of the lawsuit is 6 Jumada al-Thani/1318 AH = September 21, 1900/AD.

Among the special joys are childbirth, circumcision for Muslims, and childbirth
And /baptism/ for Christians.

A week is held for rejoicing when the male is born, but the female is not paid attention to, and she drops off. The newborn was made by relatives and friends of his parents, and full-length clothing was made for the first born, the collection of which was called the “diyarah.” It was mostly made for the first born, and then neglected with the large number of children, because the new born inherited it from their siblings.

2- As for circumcision:

Purification / was carried out by the purifier /. The purified ones were of two types, and they called them “Salsililatiya”. One of them wore a wide, loose trousers over which was a shield or robe that served as a jacket, and he wore a short robe over which a wool keffiyeh was wrapped, and it turned out to be a huge turban. They seemed to be a special type of people, and were attributed to Mosul and Diyarbakir.

The second type of barbers were citizens who used to practice additional professions in addition to shaving, including: “qarqa’ al-qar’an” and “lifting the daughters of the ears”/ that is, treating tonsillitis, and cupping with “hawa cups” or intending to strip with a razor or sucking with leeches, and extracting molars, and from here came the colloquial proverb. : / When he is shaved, he will have molars extracted / Then the circumcision of boys, and perhaps this is the least common among them, and those who specialize in it are few. He would invite family and friends to a circumcision party, and he would prepare for it by sewing a rose-silk cambaz that reached up to the ankles and buying a shawl.

The well-to-do people used to celebrate the circumcision of their son by renting a black carriage, which became widely used as a taxi in these days. The boy would ride in front of him before he was circumcised, and on either side of him were some of his brothers and relatives. The canopy of the carriage would reveal its canopy and would be tied to the heads of the two horses that pulled it. (1) It was a call to God. A silk cloth taken out and tucked in, which the circumcised people give as a robe to the coachman, after he finishes his journey. Then the circumcision process is completed while some of the invitees are chanting /Al-Harouba/. After the operation is completed, they eat what has been prepared for them in terms of food and drink, and the circumcision party in the countryside is no different from it in the city in terms of the presence of the purifier, who is from outside the village, and in terms of its celebration.

There was no age limit for performing circumcision. It could be done at ten or twelve. The notable development that occurred in the circumcision process was that it was performed in the first year of a newborn’s life. Some people try it at the end of the first week of birth, or after forty days have passed, and the circumcision is performed by a doctor. Who supervised the mother’s birth in the hospital.

As for baptism among Christians, it takes place in the church. The child is baptized with water first and then anointed with chrism, which is an ointment composed of oil and perfumes that is prepared by the clergy.

One of the special joys for Muslims is the Khatam party, which means completing the reading of the Qur’an. It is linked to the educational system that prevailed in the second half of the nineteenth century, and its mainstay is the book, and the mainstay of education in it is the Holy Qur’an. The last parts of it were: uncle, tarak, has heard, al-Dhariyat. Each part is compiled as an independent booklet. If the student completes it, he acquires a Qur’an and continues reading in it until he reaches Surah Al-Baqarah, which is the first surah in it after Al-Fatihah. If he completes it, he has completed the Qur’an and has become a candidate for the Seal ceremony.

2 - Seal ceremony:

It had a tradition with limited provisions, a decree of deeds, and a decree that varied according to the families of the seals and the status of their son among them. The tradition is for the sheikh to announce that tomorrow is the time for so-and-so’s seal. This means that the study is suspended, and that the students must wear new or clean clothes. So, when the next morning comes and the students gather, the sheikh comes and sits cross-legged on his tent, and the celebrated student is brought, led by his corporal. They kneel in front of the cushion opposite the curtain, and the corporal stands behind him, and the rest of the students stand. They were calm, and the Sheikh extended his hand to the Qur’an placed on the ottoman, opening it to Surat Al-Fatihah and Al-Baqarah at the beginning. He points to the student kneeling in front of him: “In the name of God.” This man seeks refuge, smiles, and begins to recite Al-Fatiha until he reaches the end, and do not go astray. The students all say “Amen” in one measured voice. Then he moves on to reciting Surat Al-Baqarah, and when he arrives: “The Seal of God...” the Corporal grabbed the reciter’s ears and pulled them upwards, and the students applauded, shouting, “Hiya---y-y.” The student got up and kissed his sheikh’s hand. The Corporal quickly took his hands behind his back and tied them with a handkerchief: “It is forbidden.” This handkerchief is often prepared in the pocket of the ring itself, and the students have lined up two by two with the supervision of other sorcerers, and his sorcerer leads him to the front. In front of him is only a student carrying on his head a Qur’an placed on a stand called an ivory chair, draped in white velvet embroidered with reed threads.

The procession departs in this order, heading towards the House of the Seal, and the students sing some of the prophetic songs that are usually sung at Mawlid celebrations, and others, including:

When they reach the house, they all enter it and gather around the grounds of his house, chanting: From the sea of ​​convergence: Peace, peace, peace, peace be upon you. They returned the greeting.