Mourning of Muharram
Shia Muslim set of rituals
Mourning of Muharram (Arabic: عَزَاءُ ٱلْمُحَرَّمِ, romanized: ʿAzāʾ al-Muḥarram; Persian: عزاداری محرم, romanized: ʿAzādārī-i Muḥarram; Azerbaijani: Məhərrəmlik / محرمليک) is a set of religious rituals observed by Shia Muslims during the month of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar. These annual rituals commemorate the death of Husayn ibn Ali, grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the third Shia Imam. Husayn and his small retinue were slaughtered in the Battle of Karbala on 10 Al-Muharram 61 AH (680 CE) by the army of the Umayyad caliph Yazid I (r. 680–683). Husayn's suffering and martyrdom became a symbol of sacrifice in the struggle for right against wrong, and for justice and truth against injustice and falsehood. He is a universal, borderless, interfaith and meta-religion symbol. Husayn and his companions are widely regarded as martyrs by all Muslims.
Mourning for Karbala began with its female survivors, particularly Husayn's sister Zaynab, and evolved over time into distinct rituals that help define the Shia identity. Nowadays, most mourning rituals take place during the first ten days of Al-Muharram, culminating with processions on the tenth day, known as Ashura. The main component of mourning ceremonies is the recitation of Karbala narratives intended to raise the sympathy of audience and move them to tears. Elegies and dirges are also chanted in such gatherings, as the participants strike their chests to share in the pain of Husayn and benefit from his intercession on the Day of Judgement.
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