Battle of Karbala - Shia Observances

Shia Observances

Shia Muslims commemorate the Battle of Karbala every year in the Islamic month of Muharram. The mourning of Muharram begins on the first day of the Islamic calendar and then reaches its climax on Muharram 10, the day of the battle, known as Ashurah. It is a day of Majlis, public processions, and great grief. Men and women chant and weep, mourning Hussein ibn Ali, his family, and his followers. Speeches emphasize the importance of the values the sacrifices Hussein ibn Ali made for Islam. Shia mourners in countries with a significant majority flagellate themselves with chains or whips, which in extreme cases may causing bleeding. This mainly takes place in countries such as Pakistan and Iraq and the villages and poorer areas of Iran. Most Shias show grievances, however, through weeping and beating their chests with their hands in a process called Lattum while one recites a Latmyah. Forty days after Ashurah, Shias mourn the death of Hussein ibn Ali in a commemoration called Arba'een.

In South Asia, the Battle of Karbala has inspired a number of literary and non-musical genres, such as the marsia, noha, and soaz.