About the film: Dervisi
Kinoteka na Makedonija
Dervisi
Dervishes
Year: 1955
An evening of Ramadan, Skopje, 1951. Silhouettes slip down a deserted little street and enter an old house. Several men sitting cross-legged are sipping on coffee. The modest building houses the tomb of an ancient Rifai dignitary and his family. Strange practices are going to take place in this temple. In an adjacent room, one of the men dons the attire of sheikh, the officiating priest, and breaks into the prayer for Ramadan.
Bowing down, the believers chant the incantations faster and faster, louder and louder. They enter a trance, rise and form a circle. Side by side, they sway from one foot to the next, banging on percussion instruments.
The mortification rituals can begin. The sheikh pierces the cheeks of the young men with a stylet. The older men skewer their own cheeks with a dagger. An iron ball with jingle bells hangs heavy at the end of the sharp knife. Stoic, the dervishes do not spill a drop of blood. This is not something for the faint of heart!
Nationality: Macedonian
Length: 10' 15"
Genre: documentary
Sound: sound
Original elements: black & white
Producer: Vardar Film
Original language: Macedonian
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