Hosay - Night of the Flags

Flag Night is the eight night of Muharram that is the first month of the Islamic Lunar Calendar called Hijra. The night is dedicated to Abbas who was a flag bearer of Imam Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Shiite Muslims all over the world commemorate the martyrdom of Abbas. In Trinidad, Flag Night is the first of the three nights when the procession, comprising of different Hosay yards and their by Tassa drummers, takes place. This practise is rooted in the Islamic traditions brought by East Indians to Trinidad during the period of Indentureship.