A group of us from the Regal Hostel had arranged yesterday to go and see the mourning of the Shiites.
Ashura's main days start on the 9th and 10th of Febuary but closer and closer to the date (40 days beforehand) the mourning gets wilder and wilder. Six of us got into 2 rickshaws and met up again at the old fort. The fort and the mosque were amazingly lit up, and despite it being close to midnight, the old city was bursting with people.
Ashura is the time for the Shiites (Muslims are either Suni or Shiites, depending on which part of the quran they believe in), when they remember how Hussein(mohammeds brother in law?) was killed in Karbala, Iraq. His death was an extremely painful one and Shiites reenact his torture onto themselves. We walked for a while and came across a crowd of people and heard singling. The tune itself was quite upbeat. As we approached, we started to see a group of bare chested men, beating themselves in time to the music. The power of their hands landing so heavily on their chests, then the sound of them losing their breath and finally a sharp gasp for air and another pound following shortly after. A totally breathtaking sight (please excuse the pun). We walked a little further and were directed by police to stand up on a highish platform, where they kept an eye on us. At first we were pretty annoyed that we were up high, as were were stared at constantly. After a while, things started to happen. A huge crucifix was up, with a sheet of material stretched across it, and some kind of head. This was an effigy of Hussein, and passers by would kiss the material. Later, the crowd got thicker and a replica tomb of Hussein's was carried through the thick crowd. The tomb was carried by 4 people, and was moving fast through the crowds, but t looked a tough job, as all Shiites, MUST touch the tomb, it was at this point that we were thankful that we were on a platform and were not stuck in the crowds. We watched the tomb pass us twice, and then left as it was getting late.
Later on in the festival, on the main days, some Shiites perform Zuljinnah. Zuljinnah is where they hold chins with razor blades attached and beat themselves in time with the music. Usually this procession is started with a riderless white horse.
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2 comments:
This is an interesting account of your experience but there are some inaccuracies. Husayn was the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. Zuljannah or Zuljinnah is the name of his horse, not a type of matam to be performed. The 'riderless white horse' is Zuljannah.
The shrine is called a 'tazia'. What you witnessed WAS Ashura, which falls on the 10th of Muharram, which is why it is called 'Ashura' (ten). Forty days from now will be the last day of mourning for the shaheed (martyrs) of Karbala.
All Muslims believe in the Holy Qur'an. It is not a question of believing in certain parts of it. The difference between Shi'a and Sunni simply has to do with the succession of the Caliphate. The Shi'a believe that the family of Prophet Muhammad inherited his mantle of leadership and power. The Sunni believe only in the Sunnah of the Qur'an. There are other types of Muslims as well, including the Sufi, who can be Shi'a, Sunni or even Christian!
Shi'a and Sufi tend to produce more mystics than the Sunni and in fact, the Shi'a belief in the 'Ahlul Bayt', which is Muhammad's family, is rather mystical in nature, rather similar to the Christian belief in saints as intercessors.
Thank you for sharing your travel experiences with us.
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