• Note Taking and Outlining: Make an outline of the main points in this unit on education. Use standard outline format: Roman numerals, capital letters, Arabic numerals, then small letters. Example:

  Festivals, Pageants and Entertainment   Introduction: There were many festivals, both religious and _____________________.   I. Religious Festivals, Pageants, and Celebrations A. Ramadan - the ____________________ in which Muhammad received messages that became the Qur'an. For Muslims there is no eating, __________________, drinking, etc. from sunrise to sunset. Fasting is not required if they are young children, _______, _________________, nursing, or pregnant.   B. Celebration of ___________ to celebrate the end of ________________________ . Family and friends gather for meals, sharing of ________________, and prayers.   C. __________________________ (Pilgrimage to ____________ ) The trip was not easy: hot sun, thirst, flash flood, ____________________ , or even ___________________ by local nomads or robbers. Pilgrims wore __________________ ihram cloth. They walked around the Kaaba ________ times, kissed the ___________ stone, prayed, drank sacred water, ran between two holy places.   D. Celebration of _______________________________________ ; four days to celebrate the hajj. Sacrifice by slaughtering a _______________, cow or goat. Meat is ___________________ and some is _________________________ to the poor.   E. _________________________________________________ Probably originated in ______________ in the _______ century. There was entertainment, parade of people with torches in the hands, and sermons to the people about the Prophet's ___________________. Guests of ________________ were given ________________.   F. Reenactment of the Death of Hussein - Ashura Drama (Passion Play) Followers of Hussein were in a _________________ War against the Umayyad Dynasty. They believed that only the _____________________ of Muhammad should be the rightful leaders of Islam. Hussein was the Prophet's _______________________. His head was _________ off and brought to Yazid as a ________ ___________________.     II. Secular Festivals - Shows of Power A. B. C.   III. Rites of Passage - Growing Up Muslim A. B.     (etc.)

• Vocabulary Master: Show that you know the important vocabulary from this unit that is in boldface type. The words are listed here:

____ 1. origin	A. clear; we can see through it
____ 2. They are inhabitants of...	B. to stop eating for a religious reason
____ 3. a secular festival	C. to make a trip for a religious reason
____ 4. a tower was erected	D. a dead body
____ 5. to fast	E. built up
____ 6. a martyr	F. where something came from; its history
____ 7. to go on a pilgrimage	G. not religious; part of everyday life
____ 8. a midwife	H. a Muslim religious leader
____ 9. primarily	I. They live there.
____10. transparent	J. holes; holes that were punched into a fabric
____11. perforations in the leather	K. a woman who helps deliver babies
____12. a corpse	L. a person who dies for a holy cause
____13. a shroud	M. mostly
____14. an imam	N. exact; 100% correct
____15. The date is disputed.	O. a burial cloth
____16. The date is precise.	P. to honor an event so it won't be forgotten
____17. to commemorate	Q. can't read; unable to read or write
____18. illiterate	R. argued about; not agreed upon

• Knowledge Master: Show that you know this subject well by answering the following questions:
  1. What are some of the ways that medieval Muslims celebrated or commemorated events in their religion?
  2. What does the Shi'a Muslims' drama of Ashura (a Passion Play) reenact? Why do you think this is so important to Shi'a Muslims especially?
  3. Parades were often shows of political and military power. Are there some displays by your government today that are similar? When? How are they similar to the military displays of the past?
  4. Professional entertainers traveled from city to city to entertain and earn money. What are some of their kinds of entertainment? Which ones do you think you would enjoy the most? The least?
  5. There were several types of "folk entertainment" presented in Page IV: Folk Entertainment. Which ones are the most interesting to you? Which ones would you like to see or participate in? Why?
  6. Make a list of popular types of entertainment in your culture today. (What do people do during their free time?) Which ones were also enjoyed during the Middle Ages, or have we completely broken away from the past? Or have our types of entertainment developed from some of these older ones?
  7. In a medieval Muslim's rites of passage, which three were most influenced by religion? Which two were the least influenced by religion?
  8. Think about some modern "rites of passage" in your family's culture. List a few, and tell which ones are religious and which are secular. Don't forget about such events as graduation from high school, turning 18, etc.
  9. Optional: Compare some of the religious celebrations in medieval Islam with another religion, such as Christianity. Tell about feasts, celebrations, and pilgrimages (yes, these were part of Christianity!) of Christianity today or during the Middle Ages. What are some similarities? What are some differences.
  10. What is the most important thing you have learned about Islamic Festivals and Entertainment from this webpage? Why do you think so?

Sample Activities - Festivals, Pageants and Folk Entertainment

• Create a puppet show using the information from the websites above (and perhaps from a folk tale or from The 1001 Nights). Make your puppets in the style of Turkish shadow puppets.

• Prepare a diorama or series of drawings which show the kinds of folk or secular entertainment introduced.

• Calendar: Create a Calendar of Muslim Festivals as they occur throughout the year, and add secular festivals as well. A model might be from the Islamic Calendar for 2001 - 2002.

• Imaginary Biographical Timeline: Put information from the Rites of Passage: Growing Up Muslin in the Middle Ages onto a timeline that shows a person's life (if he/she were born in the year 1300 and died in 1365, for example). Make your timeline to scale - show one year for one inch, for example. Tell what events occurred from birth through death that were secular and religious.

• Oral Reports: All groups may be required to make an oral report on their topic. See the oral report criteria before you begin your report.

• Create a webpage: Show what you learned and did through research and activities. Remember, a good webpage has an introduction, body, and conclusion (with a reflection) just like a good composition. (Add pictures from other sites or scan in photographs you have taken.) A good webpage has good information that is well researched and written in your own words. A good webpage may also have links to lead the reader to more information if they want to learn more.

• Evaluate the websites and links listed above according to a five-star system. Which ones, if any, deserve all five stars? Set up your criteria for evaluation. Your evaluations may become part of this website.