Kharrah Mali – (Extended)

People are starting their Ashura’s ceremony by covering themselves with mud, early morning in city of Khorramabad, province of Lorestan, Iran. Kharrah mali, or ‘mud rubbing’, is a ritual that is held in Iranian city of Khorramabad every year to commemorate the death of the prophet Muhammad’s grandson Hussein ibn Ali in AD680 (AH61 in the Islamic calendar). Shia Muslims roll over in mud and dry themselves by gathering around the bonfires before flagellating themselves. Ashura is the tenth day of Muharram in the Islamic calendar. For the majority of Shi'a Muslims, Ashura marks the climax of the Remembrance of Muharram, and commemorates the death of Imam Hussein, the third messenger of shia.