According to local council

Six million take part in Karbala Ashura commemorations

2024-07-18 | 11:02

KARBALA — Nearly six million pilgrims participated in this year’s Ashura commemorations, according to the Karbala Provincial Council. The council praised the successful execution of plans for the event, highlighting the significant turnout.

Ashura, observed on the tenth day of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, is marked by Shia Muslims who perform rituals, including self-flagellation with their hands and chains, to honor the sacrifices of Imam Hussein and his followers.

Shia Muslims observe Ashura with religious ceremonies that extend to Arbaeen, the 40th day following Imam Hussein’s death, during Safar, the second month of the Islamic calendar. The central event of Ashura recalls the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD, where Imam Hussein and his companions were killed. Mourning continues forty days later, on the 20th of Safar, with rituals and processions.

Many Shia expatriates return to their homelands during the first ten days of Muharram to experience the spiritual atmosphere. Thair Kareem Al-Khayyat, an expatriate in Germany, shared with 964media that he returns every year in the month of Muharram “to recall the great spiritual atmosphere that Kut has retained throughout the years.”

Imam Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatima, defied Umayyad Caliph Yazid ibn Muawiya and was killed in the ensuing conflict. The origins of Shia mourning rituals date back to the immediate aftermath of Imam Hussein’s death, with his sisters, wives, and daughters mourning him for three days. These practices spread to Medina, where they continued for a year.

The first organized mourning ceremonies nationally occurred during the Buyid and Fatimid dynasties, particularly during Arbaeen, the 40th day after Imam Hussein’s death. A notable ritual of Ashura is chest-beating, a practice that began during the Safavid period. Participants rhythmically beat their chests while a person loudly recites religious hymns, known as “Radud.”

Iraq hosts some of the most sacred Shia sites, including the sanctuary of Imam Ali Ibn Talib and Karbala, the site of Imam Hussein’s death. Each year, millions of Shia pilgrims from various Iraqi cities, neighboring countries, and around the world converge in Karbala for Ashura. The rituals include processions, reenactments of the Battle of Karbala, and recitations of elegies.

These observances feature the raising of red flags, the beating of large drums, and the sounding of horns, symbolizing a call to battle.