22/08/2020
The mourning of Muharram is attributed to the Battle of Karbala in Muharram (the first month of the Islamic calendar) in 680 CE, in which Imam Hussein, the third Shia Imam, was martyred by the Yazid army. Shia Muslims perform mourning for Imam Hussein annually from the first to the tenth days of Muharram especially on the last two days (ninth and tenth) of the ritual called Tasu’a and Ashura. Buyids (934–1062 CE) was the first dynasty that organized the ritual of Muharram. The establishment of the Safavid Dynasty (1501-1736) and the declaration of Shia as the official religion of the country was a turning point in the history of Muharram rituals. Some rituals of Muharram in Iran include Noha, weeping, procession, chest-beating, Zanjirzani, Rawda Khani, Ta’zieh, Alam Gardani, and Nakhl Gardani. Noha is a sad rhythmic poem associated with the tragic incidents of Karbala. In Muharram processions, mourners go to streets in certain parts of cities or villages for practicing Noha, chest beating (beating-chest with hands symbolically), Zanjirzani (a tool consists of a small bunch of chains used to beat on their backs by mourners), and Alam Gardani. Alam consists of symbolic Shia flags and steel blades with delicate decorations. Alam Gardani means carrying the Alam on mourners’ shoulders. After the procession, participants return to a Hussainiya or mosque for practicing other rituals. Rawda Khani is also a ritual in which a story-teller loudly summons up the sufferings of Imam Hussein and his family. It should be noted that because of ethnic diversities, the rituals of Muharram are diverse in different regions of Iran.
