hiredesign(a)houston.rr.com wrote:
<I have a picture of my grandparents from about 1920; my grandfather is
<wearing a hat from a lodge and on the front is written E B L I S. There is
<also a tassel hanging to his right. Does anyone know what lodge this might
<belong to, or what the letters stand for?
Sounds to me like he was a Shriner. They wear a red fez, or tarbush, with a
black tassle, having the name of the lodge embroidered in gold. Officially
known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine
(A.A.O.N.M.S.), it was formed in 1870 as an offshoot of the Masons. It is a
philathropic organization that runs hospitals as a charity. Each lodge is
given a name of some Arabic origin. Eblis is the Lord of the night,
according to ancient Arab mythology. He is an evil djinn, like the devil.
Many of these names adopted by the Shriners are apparently chosen for their
exotic style, and not all the conotations are clear to the people choosing
them. Shriners, probably the most public of all the Masonic organizations,
is typically the last organization a Mason joins. To become a Shriner you
must first be a Freemason in good standing, and then belong to either
Scottish Rite or York Rite.
For more information about the Shriners, see :
http://www.vtfreemasons.org/shrine/#evolve