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Religious Modification or Mortification?
Rifai’i Dervishes of Kosovo

A lot of body modifications practiced in the West today have their roots in religious or cultural practices of Eastern peoples. Tattooing, piercing, filing teeth (ok maybe not donut heads) are all a part of the spiritual beliefs of old cultures from Asia, Africa and the Middle East. In fact, there are many religious ceremonies that still include body modification/mortification today, like the Buddhist Vegetarian festival in Phuket. This is no Christmas Nativity play, we’re talking piercing your face and body with skewers that have been used for that purpose for centuries. Today we’ve brought you a fascinating photo essay from photographer Michael Biach documenting the Sufi Dervish Nevruz ritual being practiced in Kosovo. Men and boys use decorative skewers to pierce their cheeks during the ceremony and stab themselves in the hip, with the sheik using a decorative tool to hammer it in further. Check out Biach’s beautiful photos of the dervishes below and also his description of the ceremony and its history.

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Text and photos Michael Biach

Every year in March the members of the Rifai’i order gather in their holy shrine, the tekke, to celebrate a very special ceremony. Nevruz is an annual holiday marking the beginning of spring and therefore the first day of the new year. The date also marks the birthday of Imam Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of Prophet Mohammed. In Shiite belief Mohammed has chosen Ali to lead the Muslims and Sufis see Ali as their founder. For Sufis Ali is the origin of a continuous transmission of the spiritual heritage of Allahs Prophet Mohammed. At the climax of this celebration the Sufis will take centuries-old metal skewers and pierce their hips and cheeks.

Sheikh Adrihusein Sheh is the spiritual leader of the Rifai’i order, a Sufi brotherhoof founded in the 12th century near Basra in todays Iraq. The entitlement of this rank is hereditarily, the Sheikh earned it from his deceased father and will pass it to his son after his death.

Sufism is a way of living. Every divine nature is seen to be burrowed inside the heart. Sufis are also know as Dervishes. The term dervish derives from the word dari which means door. Literally a Dervish is someone who walks from door to door. In ancient times Dervishes were known to be poor and live very ascetically. Therefore they were often called faqir which means poor in front of Allah.

The collective prayer, dhikr, is very important for all dervishes. Dhikr is a way for Dervishes to make themselves aware of the permanent presence of God. Literally dhikr means remembrance of God, normally by the constantly repeating of God’s name. Every Sufi order has its own way of celebrating a dhikr, there is no strict rule of process.

One of the most known dhikr is the one of the Mevlevi order, also known as the Dancing Dervishes. While members of the Rifai’i order also start to dance, the climax of their dhikr will be a complete different, nevertheless with the same result, to internalize the permanent presence of God.

The special dhirk of the Rifai’i order during Nevruz festival starts with singing and chanting. For several hours the Dervishes permanent repeat God’s name and constantly shake the upper part of the body.

After hours they have reached a religious state of trance and are ready to start with the ultimate proof of devotion. One after the other, starting with the young boys, Sheikh Adrihusein Sheh will start to pierce the cheeks of the believers. First he will take the holy metal skewer and bless it with his tongue. Soon after he will take the cheek of the Dervish with one hand and softly push the skewer through it. No blood and no pain seem to appear.

After a dozen of Dervishes have undertaken the religious ritual, two – appearing more experienced – dervishes enter the floor and start dancing. They will conduct the ritual on their own.

The piercing of the cheeks and bodies must not be seen as an act of self-mutilation. After the Dervishes have reached a state of trance during their dhikr they feel themselves possible to seperate the soul from the body. Achieving this state they feel able to identify God and his permanent presence. And therefore they don’t feel any pain. Soon after this religious act has been fulfilled the skewers are being removed by the Sheikh. With his fingers Sheikh Adrihusein Sheh closes the wound and nearly no blood seem to be visible.

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