The Day When Love Died

Ashura is a symbol of freedom for the people who live under the whip of cruelty and oppression, so they mourn for Hussein, who fought for his believes. Hossein is an immortal, whom every year become martyr to Invite everyone to the fight for the truth of their time.

Ashura is the tenth day of Muḥarram, the first month in the Islamic calendar. For the majority of Shia Muslims Ashura marks the climax of the Remembrance of Muharram, and commemorates the death of Hossein ibn Ali, the grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, at the Battle of Karbala on (October 10, 680 CE).

For the majority of Shia Muslim, Imam Hossein’s martyrdom is a shining example of how the true lovers of Allah will react, in order to protect their own dignity and faith, even if that means sacrificing their own lives, as all the heroes in history have done, before. As a result, even 1437 years later at 2018, Shia still perpetuate such heroic event, in various ritual ways.

On the eve of the Ashura— Iranian Shiite Muslim women and men covers their faces, then they go silent, veiled and barefoot to light candles at forty different locations in in the central district of the Iranian city of Khorramabad as a part of the ceremony of Chehel Manbar (Frothy Tombs).

Kharrah Malli or Mud Rubbing is another interesting ritual ceremony in city of Khorramabad. People are starting their Ashura’s ceremony by covering themselves with mud, early morning. Then They use bonfire to dry the mud on their bodies and clothes and march the city center as thousands to mourn and chant heroic poems harmonized by the drums.

Shia Muslims in the Iranian town of Noosh Abad took part in a Ta’zieh, a public performance during the observance of Ashura. They enact the story of killing Imam Hussein during this ritual. The program started in early morning to prepare the whole holy characters, alongside prophets, angles and genies. Then the march starts and took 5 hours to have them all at the central location of Tazieh.