| Dehwa Rabba | |
|---|---|
| Also called | Nauruz Rabba |
| Observed by | Mandaeans |
| Type | Religious, ethnic |
| Significance | First day of theMandaean calendar |
Dehwa Rabba (Classical Mandaic:ࡃࡉࡄࡁࡀ ࡓࡁࡀ,romanized: Dihba Rba,lit. 'Great Feast') orNauruz Rabba (Classical Mandaic:ࡍࡀࡅࡓࡅࡆ ࡓࡁࡀ, 'Great New Year')[1]: 111 is theMandaean New Year.[2] It is the first day ofDaula (or Dowla), the first month of theMandaean calendar.[3]
Kanshī u-Zahli orKanshiy u-Zahly (Classical Mandaic:ࡊࡀࡍࡔࡉࡀ ࡅࡆࡀࡄࡋࡉࡀ,romanized: Kanšia u-Zahlia,lit. 'cleaning and purification'[1]: 113 ) is the day preceding Dehwa Rabba, orNew Year's Eve. It is the 30th day of Gadia, the twelfth month (i.e., the last day of the Mandaean year). On Kanshiy u-Zahly, Mandaeans do not work as it is a holy day. Mandaean priests spend the entire day performing prayers andmasbuta until the afternoon, and also animals are slaughtered for consumption. Before the sun sets, Mandaeans prepare food for the following day of Dehwa Rabba and also performṭmasha, or ritual immersion in water that does not require the assistance of a priest.[4]
At sunset, once theNorth Star appears in the sky, Mandaeans must stay inside their homes with their families for 36 hours. No one is permitted to go outside their homes during these 36 hours, since Mandaeans believe that thenaṭria (guardian spirits, including the water guardiansShilmai andNidbai) have leftTibil and returned to theWorld of Light, leaving people on Tibil vulnerable to misfortune.[5]: 110 As a result, Mandaeans will emerge only at noontime on the 2nd day of Daula (the day following Dehwa Rabba).[6]
Deaths during these 36 hours are considered to be inauspicious (mbaṭṭal,Classical Mandaic:ࡌࡁࡀࡈࡀࡋ,romanized: mbaṭal[7]), and themasiqta of Adam needs to be performed when Mandaean deaths occur during this time.[2][8] During this period of time, it is also inauspicious to kill any animals or even swat insects.[1]
E. S. Drower has compared this period of isolation to the Babylonian festivalAkitu and to the myth ofDumuzid's descent into the underworld and his subsequent ascent after three days.[1]
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