A Semiotic Analysis of Ghebleh-Doa (Pray for Rain) in Qeshm

Water is the source of life and it has been the most essential and even the most sacred material for creation and survival. Islam counts water under the purities and the Muslims use water to purify and find relation with the origin of being. Based on the arid climate of the southern Iran, it is quite natural that water becomes an influential factor in beliefs, ideas, rituals and costumes of the place. Pray for rain (or Ghbleh-Doa) is one of these rituals. This paper holds a semiotic study of the elements and the sociological functions of the ritual. It also shows how a ritualistic structural model can help the individual feel comfortable, emotionally secure and become socially ordered and finally socialized.