Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 11, 1900.djvu/413

 Cairene Folklore. 393

serpent-saint of Gebel Shekh Heridi and the miracles supposed to be wrought by him, as well as the harrds or "guardian" snake which still protects the house of the native from harm.

I will conclude this somewhat desultory paper with a description of the festival of Abu Sirya at Helwan, and of two or three personal experiences of my own. Abu Sirya has succeeded a local deity who was probably a form of Ptah, and his festival has taken the place of that of the ancient god. On its occurrence, the natives of the village go into the desert on horses and camels, each family taking a sheep with it, and marching continuously until they reach the foot of the hill on the top of which is the tomb of the shekh or saint. Here the sheep are allowed to go free, and they make their way to the shekh's tomb, the people following behind. At the tomb each picks out his own sheep, which is then slain and eaten ; if a sheep is missing the person who claims it is believed to have stolen it, and accordingly to have been deprived of it by the shekh. After the sheep are eaten Bedawin women brandish swords, and endeavour to remove with them the turbans of the spectators, or else lay the swords on their fezzes. Whoever succeeds in doing this receives a bakshish from the man who has been stripped of his turban or has had the sword laid upon his fez.

I now pass on to some experiences of my own in 1892, when my dahabia had been hauled upon the shore in order that various alterations and improvements might be made in it. The day before it was launched I was required to provide a sheep, which was sacrificed for luck, the throat being cut so that some of the blood fell upon the side of the vessel, and the rest of it upon the deck. The carcass was eaten by the workmen. Had the sheep not been sacrificed according to immemorial custom, it would have been difficult for me to have got sailors, as they would have considered that the vessel was destined to be unlucky.

When the dahabia was launched it was found to be too