Al Medreha Rituals of Farewell and Reception of Pilgrims in Old Sana a for Centuries

Yemenat

Mohammed Al-Mekhlafi

O wooden swing, O crafted frame,
Who set your timbers in evening’s hush?
Who fixed your pillars under the moon,
And lit the candle’s gentle blush?

This is how the people of Old Sana’a used to bid farewell to pilgrims before their journey to Makkah, through these traditional chants.

With the approach of the Hajj season, the old neighborhoods would begin preparing for this occasion, as relatives and neighbors gathered around the pilgrim before his departure.

The pilgrim would visit the homes of his relatives and neighbors to say goodbye, and then proceed to the neighborhood mosque to request prayers.

There, people would gather around him, shake his hand, and pray for his safe journey and accepted pilgrimage.

One resident of Old Sana’a, Abdullah Al-Qadhi, says that one of the most prominent customs associated with Hajj in Sana’a is Al Medreha (the swing),a wooden swing erected in the courtyard of the main house or in the neighborhood square.

Al Medreha was adorned with the pilgrim’s own clothing; if the pilgrim was a man, his traditional garments would be hung on it, such as the thobe, “somata,” (a traditional shawl-like garment worn over the neck and shoulders),the jambiya, (A traditional Yemeni curved dagger worn at the waist) and the vest of al-za‘al. If the pilgrim was a woman, her appropriate garments would be hung instead, and Al Medreha would be decorated with small iron bells that produce light sounds as it moves.

The women would also decorate the ropes of the Medreha with (al-mashaqir),such as shadhab and basil, local plants whose fragrant scent fills the alleys of the neighborhoods.

Historical sources indicate that the tradition of the Medreha has been present in Yemen for more than 1,200 years, and over time it has become part