The 10th Day

I heard a deep beating somewhere off in the distance, steady with the rhythm of a sad and violent heart. The mourning had begun.

Near my house, Tajrish market’s central yard has been transformed into a stage, cloaked with black cloth, Islamic banners and green neon. For the entire lunar month of Muharram, passion plays (“Tazieh”) re-enacting the Battle of Karbala while beaming melodramatic, dizzying chants, drum beats and horns. The Strange smell of sacrificial frenzy, superstition and pollution suffocates the air. Bodies bump against each other, sometimes violently. Some people cry, others flap their eye lashes, or sell various superstitions in the hot and holy market.

Time capsules seem to be a recurring theme for me lately.

This is the story about yet another time capsule, one which comes to life during Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, and especially in its first 10 days. I happened to be deep under the hypnotism of David Lynch’s latest film when I heard the first sounds during Tasooa, the “9th day” of Muharram, day before Ashura, the “10th day” - what a crazy moment that was.



Once upon a time 1,300 years ago…
10 Muharram, 680 AD (Ashura): The Battle of Karbala

After the death of Muhammad many believed the just succession should be to his son-in-law and cousin, Ali (whom Iranian Muslims revere most after Muhammad and Allah). Interestingly, for a while Imam Ali did not seek to take over the Caliphate since he believed Islam was a faith and not a state. Shi’a literally means “follower of Ali.”


After the death of Imam Ali, as the kingdom was getting richer, the Umaayad dynasty took power. A segment of Muslims believed them to be promoting the corruption of Islam and its values, and especially marginalizing the house of the Prophet-"Ahl al Bayt." Hossein renounced the dynasty: the ultimate culmination of his resistance played out in Karbala.

On the 10th of Muharram, Hossein son of Ali (and my 52nd cousin ;-) and his crew of 72 (along with 51 women and children) marched through the blistering deserts of what is now eastern Iraq and met Ummayad Caliph Yazid’s army, 40,000 men strong, in Karbala. Everyone was slaughtered, starting with Hossein's baby, Ali Asghar. The women were taken as prisoners...

On this day the seeds of the great divide in Islam were planted. What began as a political and ideological resistance movement evolved into a deep, religious split. In very general terms, Sunnis maintain belief in the succession of an elected Caliphate while the Shi’a believes in the traditional succession according to Prophet’s bloodline.

Ashura for Shiites today consists of the remembrance and performance of this bloody day's events, and the details around it. Hossein is seen as a symbol of bravery and ultimate martyrdom in the face of injustice, a powerful theme which re-presents itself in various forms, through the epochs.

For more a more in-depth reading on this history, click here.


On Tasooa, the 9th day, I visited my auntie’s house for dinner. It was a total coincidence that I went there on that particular evening.

“They are crazy!” my auntie kept saying.

It was well below zero outside, and we heard the beating. My cousin and I rushed to the kitchen window to see if we could catch the “Dasteh Azahdari” (“procession of mourners”) passing through the frozen street. A massive drum accompanies the lines of men, who slap their chests with their hands (“sineh zani”) or their back with chains (“zangir zani”). They said that the chest beating is more of an Iranian thing.

They have outlawed the chains with knives on the ends and slicing skin on the head. Images of Hossein and Ali have also been banned--it seems as though they are not accurate portrayals. Images of people are not Islamic, but they are common in Iranian Islam, the tradition dating back to pre-Islamic times. Paintings of Hossein and Ali, and the various contemporary martyrs are quite popular. There is even an image of Mohammad that many old families have (My great auntie has the portrait in the first page of her ancient family photo album--I'll try to scan it soon and send), and you can find it still in the bazaars. Normally the city would be swarming with posters of the epic heroes, but this year I hardly found any. I spotted a couple downtown, but the eyes were censored with green tape.

At times, the processions look like some sort of dark-metal trance ritual with “Noha”- trance-like music in which Hossein’s name is repeated continuously. Contemporary Noha music often contains elements of heavy metal, trance or hip-hop.

The atmosphere is carnivalesque.

Whole families come out, eat and drink tea, and follow along the processions. Young girls and guys hang around, dressed to impress. Boys gel their hair extra high, and girls often get away with showing off a bit of bouffant, bleached bangs (although I heard some of them were warned).

On the day of Ashura, Vali Asr Street was dripping with dead lambs, sacrificed in the name of Imam Hossein. At the entrance to Zaferanieh Street (a posh neighborhood) they sacrificed a cow. The bloodiness of the day of Ashura commemorates the blood shed at Karbala.







Downtown displays the most elaborate and passionate ceremonies. The Tazieh is performed in the days before and after Ashura, with the climactic performances taking place on this day. At the end of the performance, when Hossein is killed, they burn down the giant tent near the bazaar, representing the annihilation of the tent of Prophet’s family and the warriors who were camped around the battlegrounds.

In the city's mosques, as well as in private homes, people prepare large quantities of excellent food, which is given away for free, called “Nazri”. Everyone queues up for their Nazri: even the ladies with Gucci bags and stiletto heels, and the guys who constantly chat on their mobiles and wear gigantic sunglasses. Sometimes people fight for their Nazri, like most things here, especially when they involve queues.

Another type of food donation is called “Kharji” (literally "spending")– which means they bought it from a restaurant or caterer and fed people on Ashura, as opposed to Nazri which you make yourself. It is said that the British Embassy had an old tradition dating back to the 1905 Constitutional Revolution (when 12,000 Constitutionalist merchants sought refuge in the Embassy grounds) of giving Kharji.

Common alms dishes for Ashura are "Qaimeh" (split pea stew with lemon and lamb) and "Keshmesh Polo" (Rice with raisins and ground beef). For desert it is sweet "Sholeh Zard" (Saffron Custard).

I learned that various aspects of Ashura can be closely paralleled with pre-Islamic Iranian ceremony and tradition. Ancient Iranian history and folklore is most famously captured and represented in the epic Shahnameh (Book of Kings), written by Ferdowsi in 1010 AD, recounting the mythical origins and histories of Iran up to the Islamic invasion. For example:

Shiism: Hossein – Grandson of Prophet who was killed by Shemr, commander of Yazid’s army, in the battle of Karbala. He symbolizes innocence destroyed by evil, and the fight for justice. The ultimate martyr.
Shahnameh: Siavush – Son of Persian King, innocence incarnate, who died by the hands of Iranian archenemy, evil incarnate, Turanian King Afrasiab. The Tazieh (passion play) used to be performed in honor of Siavash, today it’s for Hossein.

Shiism: Ali --a warrior, he killed many for his noble cause. Famous for his two-tiered sword. Ali’s horse is famous.
Shahnameh: Rostam –a fantastic warrior who killed many to preserve his great country. Famous for his two-tiered beard. Rostam’s horse is also famous.



















Rostam with his two tiered beard & Imam Ali's Sword - "Zolfaghar"


In old tradition, storytellers would recount the tales of the Shahnameh reading the poetic verses, alongside wall paintings which depicted the stories. Today, during Muharram, professional singers recount the tales from the Battle of Karbala. I’ve also heard that you can still find those who recount the tale along with its parallels from Shahnameh.

(Another example of this kind of correspondence that is not quite relevant to this post, but I’ll mention anyway, is the trilogy in Shi’a Islam--Allah, Muhammad & Ali--which translated for the Communists (who grew up in a religious atmosphere) into Marx, Lenin & Stalin. The trilogy roughly represents Theorist, Practitioner & Warrior. You might have noticed something like this in the film Persepolis when, as a child, Marjane Satrapi sees Marx at the level of God. My friend who explained me this phenomenon, used to read about Communism simplified in children’s books, and draw paintings of Marx)

In ancient Iranian tradition the concept of strength was also very important, and this can be seen still today. Many of Iran’s best wrestlers are idealized, their photos hanging all around town. On Ashura strong men take turns carrying a giant (and very heavy) “Alam” on their shoulders—Alam (photos to the right) is a Shi’a banner, heavily decorated with iron figurines, decorations and feathers. Many of the decorations are very Iranian, for example lions and peacocks. This has also been declared illegal, although we saw several men lifting them.

















As the central aim of festival is mourning, all the things you might expect can be found: people dressed in black, crying and chanting "Ya Hossein", beating their chests...

But there can't help but be happy moments. While the content of the ceremonies and the feelings of many people are sad, meanwhile plenty of people are also having a good time. It is one of the only opportunities to spend days and nights out in the streets with huge crowds of people, for a very legitimate reason. Young people saunter around, exchanging glances, chats, or perhaps a phone number. In the last years the facilities and music styles have developed, with neon light shows and traveling sound systems. I’ve heard several people refer to it as discotheque.










Of course a large segment of the population is quite serious about it. Another substantial segment does not participate at all, for example my family, even though many of them are religious.

Since the days of Constitutional Revolution, the ceremony has sometimes taken on a political character. It has been banned in various cases: Iran in the 1930s and in Iraq under Sadaam Hussein (This year 2 million Iraqis marched at Karbala). Although its ideology and mobilization power contributed a great deal to the 1979 Revolution, it may still be regarded as a threat today. In the most pure sense, it is a cry out against injustice, whatever form that may be. It is also an excuse to gather, and express emotion. It is hard to stop the people on these days, otherwise the authorities might appear as hypocrites.

Ashura and ceremonies dedicated to it's remembrance are practiced all around the world including Pakistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Turkey, Syria, India, and even in Trinidad & Tobago and Jamaica where it's known as "Hosay" and in Indonesia known as "Tabuik."

In another post-modern twist, I've also heard it described as a day of “showing.” Men show their strength along with other various male qualities. Women go out, showing off their beauty and charms...As I rambled around the streets of Tehran, I definitely noticed this.

Although many people still take part in Ashura due to belief and tradition, many of them also utilize the rare opportunity more practically: whether it is to voice a political statement, eat some Nazri, hang out with friends, escape into the meditative trance of Noha, or perhaps find a future husband.


For more photos click below:

Ashura