

واجب (Wajib), the “compulsory” act, for example, fasting during Ramadan.If we look, instead, to its technical meaning, haram represents one of the five categories in which the Islamic Law divides human actions, that are: There’s been a semantic change, from an exclusively religious meaning to a much wider one. If I see baby crying, I can say “ya haram!”, meaning “How sad!”. For example, if I see someone wasting food, I can say “haram!” to express my sorrow. Nowadays, haram is colloquially used as an exclamation for something that’s forbidden, or to say “What a pity!”, but not necessarily with a religious meaning. Also, the Great Mosque in Mecca is called “Al Masjid Al-Haram”.

In fact, from the same root hrm (رم ح) comes the word حريم (hareem harem) that, as everybody knows, referred to that part of the “private” house that was off-limits to men and to the people living in that same house. Its root also refers to everything that’s sacred, private or to every place that unauthorised people or who are in a state of impurity, cannot access. The semantic field of haram is much wider than the one of “sin” and it includes everything that in Islam is prohibited, but isn’t necessarily a sin. Sin is a specific act that’s committed by a single human being and only concerns that one person. Moreover, while in Christianity there is a state of sin inherent in the human being (original sin), Islam has no such thing. What fun it would be to go to Putla for their three day Carnaval celebration - where one can see hundreds of Tiliches dancing though the streets!Įnter your email address to follow View From Casita Colibrí and receive notifications of new posts by email.The closest concept to sin is no that of حرام (haram) but that of ذنب (dhanb, that means exactly “Sin”).

Unfortunately, the exhibition only ran from July 15 to 30, 2019. The creativity here never ceases to amaze me. It took him two months to make and weighs 15 kg. (132 lbs.)ĭesigned by Amando Herrera Villa and made of palm. It took seven people 45 days to make for the 2019 costume contest in Putla. (66 lbs.)ĭesigned by Ángel Álvarez de Jesús and made from plastic rope, plastic thread, cardboard and silicone. It took two people 45 days to make for a Carnaval 2018 costume contest in Putla and it weighs 30 kg. Made from plastic water and soda bottle caps and hat of rafia.

Made of cloth, palm, and gourd with a mask of animal skin, suede gloves, and leather boots. Viejo de Tiliches – wearing the traditional costume of the Viejos/Tiliches during Carnaval in Putla. Seeing them, it should come as no surprise that “tiliche” can be translated into English to mean junk, stuff, or rag.Įntering this year’s Festival de los Moles at the Jardín Etnobotánico de Oaxaca (Oaxaca Ethnobotanic Garden), guests were greeted by an exhibition of Tiliches - hosted by the newspaper archive, Hemoeroteca Néstor Sanchez. Remember these guys from my Everyone loves a parade post? They are known as Tiliches (aka, Los viejos, old ones) are a staple in the 3-day celebration of Carnaval in Putla de Guerrero, and a colorful part of the delegation from Putla during La Guelaguetza.
