Abstract:
Heya Beya is a ceremony in which water-based rituals are performed in traditional Arab societies. It is more common in Gulf Region Arabs. It is aiming to please the earth-water spirits among the forces of nature and to protect against the evil of these spirits. Bahrain, Oman and Qatar are the places where this tradition is continued. Although the Gulf Region is a territory dominated by Islam, it is an area where traditional culture is kept alive. In this region, the traditional Heya Beya practice is being implemented as a reflection of the effort to create a national culture and with the perspective of keeping traditional values alive. Heya Beya traditional practices include germination of various grain products. The responsibility of germination is given to the girls at home. Germination is done for various purposes. In traditional culture, it is made as a symbolic sacrifice for the safe return of men who go sea hunting. Today, it is seen that this practice has undergone a change in meaning. It is also organized with Islamic motifs for the safe return of those who go on pilgrimage. Although the purpose of this practice varies according to societies, ceremonial practices continue. In this context, the grassed Heya Beya is shaped around water and the sea and continues as ceremonies that end with the practice of throwing the Heya Beya into the water. While performing this ritual, prays in the form of songs were sung, hoping that the sea/water would not harm those who initially went to the sea for hunting and gathering. Today, this ceremony is held on the eve of Eid al-Adha and is continued in the same form with the wish of the safe return of those who go on Hajj. Although the meanings attributed to it have changed, the purpose of making it has not changed, it has become a traditional form for the protection of life and the continuation of life. Although cultural change is an inevitable phenomenon and the changes in culture change the meanings attributed to the sacred, it is seen that the reasons for its first practice and the rituals related to it continue in the memory of societies.
Author(s): Selcuk Kursad Koca, Sevim Koca