''Hosa'' (

Iraqi Arabic Mesopotamian Arabic (), also known as Iraqi Arabic or the Iraqi dialect (), or just as Iraqi (), is a group of varieties of Arabic spoken in the Mesopotamian basin of Iraq, as well as in Syria, southeastern Turkey, Iran, Kuwait and Iraqi diaspor ...

: هوسه), also known as ''Raddasa'' (ردسة), is a genre of

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

i popular

chant A chant (from French ', from Latin ', "to sing") is the iterative speaking or singing of words or sounds, often primarily on one or two main pitches called reciting tones. Chants may range from a simple melody involving a limited set of no ...

s. These chants combine

poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

and rhythmic dancing, and are performed during both celebratory and mournful occasions. They are most common in southern Iraq, particularly in the

marshlands In ecology, a marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous plants rather than by woody plants.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p More in general ...

and rural regions. The performance begins when a ''mahawil'' or ''muhawasji'' (chant leader) recites verses in the Iraqi dialect, typically consisting of four lines. The first three serve as an introduction to the

refrain A refrain (from Vulgar Latin ''refringere'', "to repeat", and later from Old French ''refraindre'') is the Line (poetry)">line or lines that are repeated in poetry or in music">poetry.html" ;"title="Line (poetry)">line or lines that are repeat ...

(''rabbat''), which is considered the essence of the chant. The leader concludes by repeating the last words, raising their voice, jumping, and forcefully stomping a foot on the ground, intending to evoke enthusiasm within the audience. The surrounding participants join in by mimicking these actions, and together they form a circle, chanting the refrain in

unison Unison (stylised as UNISON) is a Great Britain, British trade union. Along with Unite the Union, Unite, Unison is one of the two largest trade unions in the United Kingdom, with over 1.2 million members who work predominantly in public servic ...

. The ''hosaat'' are largely improvised and vary depending on the occasion, such as welcoming leaders or guests, funerals, weddings, wars, victories, threats, and commemorating historical events. Occasionally, participants carry decorative sticks, banners, or weapons as threats or symbols of courage. In September 2024, ''hosa'' gained popularity on social media through a

viral video Viral videos are video, videos that become popular through viral phenomenon, a viral process of Internet sharing, primarily through video sharing websites such as YouTube as well as social media and email.Lu Jiang, Yajie Miao, Yi Yang, ZhenZhon ...

shot in

Amarah Amarah (), also spelled Amara, is a city in south-eastern Iraq, located on a low ridge next to the Tigris River waterway south of Baghdad about 50 km (31 mi) from the border with Iran. It lies at the northern tip of the marshlands between ...

, featuring the line ''"La tatmāda, nakhbuzak khubz al-‘Abbās"'' (don’t go too far, we’ll bake you like the bread of Abbas.)

Etymology

The term ''hosa'' (هوسة) is believed to derive from the

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

word ''hawas'' (هوس), which refers to a state of intense enthusiasm or ecstasy, rather than

madness Madness or The Madness may refer to: Emotion and mental health * Anger, an intense emotional response to a perceived provocation, hurt or threat * Insanity, a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns * ...

in the clinical sense. It is also used in Egyptian colloquial Arabic to refer to loud singing or enthusiastic vocalizations, and it is believed to have roots in Coptic or the

ancient Egyptian language The Egyptian language, or Ancient Egyptian (; ), is an extinct branch of the Afro-Asiatic languages that was spoken in ancient Egypt. It is known today from a large corpus of surviving texts, which were made accessible to the modern world ...

, where similar terms signified vocal expressions of joy or fervor.

History

The exact origins of ''hosa'' in

are uncertain, as no historical texts definitively date its emergence. However, Iraqi folk poetry, in its current form, is believed to be no older than two centuries. It is thought to have been developed by tribes situated in the

Euphrates The Euphrates ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of West Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia (). Originati ...

region. The earliest known ''hosa'' is attributed by

Anastase-Marie al-Karmali Butrus Mikha'il 'Awwad al-Marini ( / ; 5 August 1866: "ولد الأب أنستاس ماري الكرملي، في بغداد، يوم ٥ آب ١٨٦٦، من أب لبناني الأصل، وأم بغدادية. / تلقى دروسه الابتد ...

to the

Al-Hindiya Al-Hindiya or Hindiya () is a city in Iraq on the Euphrates River. Al-Hindiya is located in the Karbala Governorate and is the seat of Al-Hindiya District. The city used to be known as Tuwairij (), which gives name to the "Tuwairij run" () that ...

tribes of

Karbala Karbala is a major city in central Iraq. It is the capital of Karbala Governorate. With an estimated population of 691,100 people in 2024, Karbala is the second largest city in central Iraq, after Baghdad. The city is located about southwest ...

, who reportedly chanted "Rise, Wadi, for Baghdad is shaken!" to boost morale in resistance to Ottoman

grand vizier Grand vizier (; ; ) was the title of the effective head of government of many sovereign states in the Islamic world. It was first held by officials in the later Abbasid Caliphate. It was then held in the Ottoman Empire, the Mughal Empire, the Soko ...

Midhat Pasha Ahmed Şefik Midhat Pasha (; 1822 – 26 April 1883) was an Ottoman politician, reformist, and statesman. He was the author of the Constitution of the Ottoman Empire. Midhat was born in Istanbul and educated from a private . In July 1872, he ...

circa 1869. By the mid-19th century, ''hosa'' became common practice in tribal disputes and resistance against Ottoman rule. The practice was later documented in British Mandatory Iraq, particularly in the context of the

Iraqi Revolt The Iraqi Revolt of 1920, also known as the Iraqi War of Independence or Great Iraqi Revolution began in Baghdad in the summer of 1920 with mass demonstrations by Iraqis, including protests by embittered officers from the old Ottoman Army, agai ...

Variations

''Hosa'' is divided into three categories based on the region associated with each type, namely the southern,

, and western regions of Iraq. It is often inspired by religious elements. Among the most common ahazeej (chants) in ''hosaat'' are: ''al-Hosa al-Hajimiya, al-Akiliya, al-Zat al-Ribatayn,'' ''al-Tajliba,'' ''al-Darmi,'' ''al-Muwashah,'' ''al-Majzou’ al-Hazaj'' (popular long verse poetry), and ''al-Hawashi'', or ''al-Sari''.Sari, Nasser Mohsen, *Al-Darmi Poetry*, Al-Hawadith Printing, (Baghdad, 1989), p. 61

Various Hosa Chants

* ''"La tatmāda, nakhbuzak khubz al-‘Abbās."'' "Don’t push it, we’ll bake you like the bread of Abbas." * ''"Akhwān Sunnah w-Shiʿah hadha al-waṭan ma nbiʿah."'' "Sunnis and Shi'ites are brothers, we will never sell this homeland." * ''"Ṣalawātak ya Nabina, ḥelwa hal-laylah ʿalayna."'' "O Prophet, your blessings make this night joyful for us."

References

External links