zar

zar
   In Muslim lore, a possessing DJINN that usually attacks women and refuses to leave until the victim receives lavish gifts of jewelry, perfume, clothes, and dainty foods. Second-class citizens under male domination, Muslim women rely on the zar to give them some measure of power and privilege. Husbands must provide expensive gifts and sweetmeats to create peace in the household. Such appeasement raises suspicions of manipulation, but so ingrained in Islamic culture is the belief in spirit interference that husbands dare not tempt fate. Descriptions of zar possessions were recorded in the early 19th century by travelers to the Egypt and the Middle East. The “cult of the zar” continues in areas in modern times. The usual POSSESSION and EXORCISM of the zar proceed as follows: The victim, suffering from some minor complaint, blames possession by the zar, and other female relatives prevent her from seeing a medical doctor, preferring the services of an old woman who is a female shaman, a shechah-ez-zar. For a fee, the shechah identifies a zar as the source of the woman’s troubles and interrogates the zar, sometimes in a recognizable language and sometimes in zar language, understood only by the shechah. After repeated conversations, the zar offers to leave once the possessed victim receives specific lavish gifts and attention from her husband.
   On the afternoon of the zar’s scheduled departure, a “beating the zar” ceremony is performed at the victim’s home. The victim’s female friends and relatives join her for the ceremony, often accompanied by food, coffee, and a flute and drumming performance. The shechah and her assistants chant the final exorcism rites, with music, and then often sacrifice a lamb. The lamb’s BLOOD is rubbed on the victim’s forehead and elsewhere. She then dances madly, sways, and finally faints. The zar leaves, satisfied that the victim has been rewarded.
   In some ceremonies, the questioning of the zar is done after the victim and others dance and enter trance. The shechah asks for a remedy to the malady, and the zar specifies gifts. The ecstatic dancers may be shown silver rings and bracelets and other objects, which pacify the zar. On a day fixed by the zar, another fit can occur, which can be relieved only by the satisfying of a wish. Zar exorcisms have become part of contemporary urban Islamic culture. In many large cities, such as Cairo, regular exorcisms are held in a public building as often as once a week. The length of the ceremony, from three to seven nights, depends upon the fee that can be paid. Women from all walks of life participate, whirling and dancing until the spirit leaves them and they return home, exhausted but entertained. Relief from the possession may be only temporary, and it may return with another infraction committed by a husband. Men are expected to believe in the possession, which, in addition to giving women the freedom to ask for gifts, permits them to scold and upbraid their husbands in a manner that would be forbidden under normal circumstances.
   Nineteenth-century accounts of zar possession in Abyssinia describe a different cult that affected men as well as women, blamed on the zar, or bouddha, evil spirit. The victim typically was afflicted in the middle of the night. He would run out, roll on the ground, and scream until exhausted and still. The remedy consisted of taking a hen, swinging it around the head, and smashing it to the ground. If the hen died immediately, it meant the zar had passed into the body of the fowl and the victim was cleared. If the hen survived, the remedy had to be repeated until a bird died.
   FURTHER READING:
   - Ebon, Martin. The Devil’s Bride, Exorcism: Past and Present. New York: Harper & Row, 1974.
   - Lewis, I. M. Ecstatic Religion: An Anthropological Study of Spirit Possession and Shamanism. Middlesex, England: Penguin Books, 1971.
   - Oesterreich, Traugott K. Possession and Exorcism. Secaucus, N.J.: University Books, 1966.

Encyclopedia of Demons and Demonology. . 2009.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Zar — (en ruso царь ▶?/i, en búlgaro, macedonio y serbio цар, transliterado estrictamente como tsar, en Croata car), en femenino zarina (царица, tsaritsa, en Croata carica), era el título usado por monarcas eslavos, principalmente del Imperio ruso… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Zar — (von bulg. und serb. цар oder russ. царь anhören?/i; aus dem altbulg. «цѣсарь» und «кесар», das auf lat. Caesar zurückgeht) war der höchste Herrschertitel in Bulgarien, Serb …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • žar — žar̃ interj. 1. kartojant nusakomas lašų tiškimas: Išejom [į vakarėlį] pusplikiai, lytus žar̃ žar̃, i po linksmybės DūnŽ. 2. kartojant nusakomas kirpimo garsas: Girdžiu, žar̃ žar̃ kerpa žirklėm Bb. Žar žar ir sukirpo medžiagą Ds. 3. Skr, Arm… …   Dictionary of the Lithuanian Language

  • Zar — [ts̮a:ɐ̯], der; en, en: a) <ohne Plural> Titel des Monarchen im vorrevolutionären Russland (zeitweise auch in Bulgarien und Serbien): er wurde zum Zaren gekrönt. b) Träger des Titels Zar: die Familie des Zaren; das Russland der Zaren. Syn …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Zār — or Zaar (زار) is a pagan religious custom, apparently originating in central Ethiopia during the eighteenth century, later spreading throughout East and North Africa.Citation|last=Natvig|first=Richard|title=Liminal Rites and Female Symbolism in… …   Wikipedia

  • żar — {{/stl 13}}{{stl 8}}rz. mnż I, D. u, Mc. żarze {{/stl 8}}{{stl 20}} {{/stl 20}}{{stl 12}}1. {{/stl 12}}{{stl 7}} jakaś substancja rozpalona do czerwoności lub białości, promieniująca ciepłem, będąca w stadium dopalania się bez płomienia : {{/stl… …   Langenscheidt Polski wyjaśnień

  • ZAR — ist die Abkürzung für: Südafrikanischer Rand, die Währung Südafrikas (nach ISO 4217) Zaire, ein ehemaliger Staat (Landescode nach ISO 3166 1), siehe den heutigen Staat Demokratische Republik Kongo Zentralafrikanische Republik Südafrikanische… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Zar — may refer to:* Tsar, as an alternative spelling * Zār, an East African religious custom * Zar, a fictional character in Star Trek, see: Sybok * Zar, Armenia also spelled Zarr * Zar, Azerbaijan * Zar, Georgiaee also* ZAR, is a three letter… …   Wikipedia

  • ZAR — is a three letter abbreviation that may refer to:* South African rand, ISO4217 currency code, from Dutch Zuid Afrikaanse rand * South African Republic, from Dutch Zuid Afrikaanse Republiek * Zairean Airlines, Democratic Republic of the Congo* ZAR …   Wikipedia

  • Zar'it — Zar’it (hebräisch ‏זרעית‎) ist ein israelischer Moschaw in Obergaliläa, in der Nähe der libanesischen Grenze im Regionalen Rat Ma’ale Yosef. Nach israelischen Angaben wurden am 12. Juli 2006 in der Nähe zwei Soldaten der israelischen Streitkräfte …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • -zar — [ts̮a:ɐ̯], der; en, en <Suffixoid>: männliche Person, die auf dem im Basiswort genannten Gebiet als herrschend, beherrschend, mächtigster Mann gilt: Fernsehzar; Filmzar; Kinozar; Modezar; Popzar; Pressezar; Zeitungszar. Syn.: ↑ papst… …   Universal-Lexikon

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”