‘Gazetteer of Kermanshah.’ [‎54r] (112/504)

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<f In tlieir own villages they do not deny themselves the use of wine and
spirits, nor do they abstain from the prohibited food oj: the^ Koran, on the
contrary, they indulge freely in swine s flesh and intoxicating liquors
(Gazetteer of Persia).
u The Aliullahis have no religious books and rarely, if ever, pray. They
say that Ali is their intercessor, and has commanded them to trust
to the efficacy of his prayers : and in short, Ali is their intercessor with
God. Before undertaking any important matter, and especially before
going to war, the Aliullahis invoke Ali, in the name of Daoud, saying :
“ O Daoud, we are going to war, grant that we may overcome our enemies/'
They then sacrifice some beast, usually a sheep; the blood and offal are
buried, and the rest of the animal is roasted whole. When it is cooked, the
carcass is carried to the priest, who separates the bones and kneads the flesh
into a paste, muttering prayers over it as he proceeds. When he has
finished this consecration, a table cloth is spread on the ground, and every
one present partake of the food which the priest distributes. After this
ceremony the undertaking, whatever it may he, is entered upon with per
fect confidence of ultimate success.
Every year, at the commencement of winter, there is a great festival which
ends with a three days' feast. The festival is in honour and remembrance
of Ali, and of .the great things he has done for his followers.”— (T. C. Plow-
den, 1S81).
This feast is preceded by the Chelaktapan, of which mention has already
been made. Then there is the three days' feast, known as Berkh, which
takes place at the beginning of the month of Kauss. Every family of ten
persons has to kill a fowl, some of them are of course at liberty to kill a
sheep. The following is the derivation of the name of this feast (Justi.
diet. Kurde-Franeab.) :—
Berkh agneau.
Berkhbyr—fete que les Kurdes observent al’occasion de la tonte des
brebis, qui tombe au mois de tabakh ( aout), du mot precedent et
de bar, forme radicale de bariden, ‘ couper/’
Houtum Schindler observes as to Ibis feast (in the Zeitschrift d. Peutschen
Morgenlandt Gesellschaft XXXVIII, page 110) :—
“Die von mir gefragten Kurden sersicherten, dass dieses lest nur von den
Kurdischen Ali Ullahis und von den Yezidis gefeiert werde,"
“ Seyyed Bust am is the name of the present chief of the Aliullahis of
Zohab ; he lives at Zardeh (Tushami), the sacred place of the sect on
Mount Dalahu. There is here a tomb in which no body is buried, but
which is venerated under the title of Baba Yadgar-i-Hussein.
“ The marriages of this sect are supposed to require the sanction of the
chief priest, but resort is, not infrequently had to Shiah Mullahs. The
dead are buried without prayer, but the head of the corpse faces Kerbela, as
amongst Mussulmans. On the birth of a child, the father and mother give
it its name, but if the family is well-to-d>, a Seyyed is invited to a feast on
the seventh day after its birth, and is called to name it/'—-(7 7 , C. Plowden,
1881).
The Chiefs of the Aliullahis consider smoke impure.
Corpses are kept in deceased^ bouse for 6 days before burial.
The Aliullahis are easily recognized by their long mustachios, as Shiahs,
according to their religion, have to cut their mustaehios so that no hair
should hang beneath the upper lip. The chiefs of the sect in the Province