7adhra حضرة
Tunisian Derja · noun
“7adhra” (حضرة) is a noun in Tunisian Derja meaning Sufi chanting ceremony.
Meanings
- Sufi chanting ceremony
- honorific title (Sir, Your Honor)
Usage
In Tunisia, 7adhra refers to a session of Sufi songs and praise, accompanied by percussion (bendir), held in a zawiya or at home, for example for a family celebration or a fulfilled vow. One says ya3mlou 7adhra (they hold a hadhra). The word is also the name of a famous Tunisian Sufi music show. In a formal register, 7adhret is used as a title of respect before a position: 7adhret el 9adhi (Your Honor the judge). Not to be confused with 7adhra in the sense of "presence", which is more literary.
Example
عملو حضرة في الدار بعد ما رجع خوها من الحج
3amlou 7adhra fel dar ba3d ma rja3 khouha mel 7aj
“They held a hadhra at home after her brother came back from the pilgrimage.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “7adhra” but also “hadhra”, “7adra”, “hadra” and “7adhret”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Digits stand in for Arabic letters that have no Latin equivalent: 7 is ha (ح), a breathy h from the throat.