Muharram

Place

Muharram is not a festival in the celebratory sense as it mourns the Karbala tragedy when Imam Husain, grandson of Prophet Muhammad, was martyred in the 61st year of the Hijra (A.H.). It is observed in different ways in various parts of India, but the theme of mourning is constant throughout. After the death of the Prophet, questions of succession arose. There could be no successor of the spiritual head, because Islam believes in finality of Muhammad in the prophetic tradition.

After him, the Koran was considered the final word in revelations and settlement of disputes and conflicts. However, a successor to the position of Caliph was needed. Muhammad had named no successor, and had only one daughter Fatimah, who was married to Ali, and had two children - Hassan and Hussein. One camp believed that succession should remain within Mohammed's family, while another disagreed.

Finally, Abu Bakr, a loyal follower of Muhammad was elected Caliph. His reign was peaceful, as was that of his successors. However, during the reign of Ali, there was major opposition from the masses, and as a result of the aggression, Ali was assassinated. His son Hassan was poisoned, while his other son Hussein was killed in the battle of Karbala. This tragic circumstance divided the Muslim community into two sects - the Shiahs and the Sunnis.

The Shiahs consider Ali, Hassan and Hussein the rightful Caliphs and publicly mourn their death during Muharram. Profusely decorated taziyas (bamboo and paper replicas of the martyr's tomb), embellished with gilt and mica, as well as green alams (standards of Hazrat Imam Hussain's army) made of silver, copper and brass, are carried through city streets. A horse is led in the procession in memory of Hussain's horse Dul Dul. Wrestlers and dancers enact scenes depicting the battle at Karbala.

Every day, marsiyars (mourning verses) are recited in honour of the martyred, as young men beat their breasts crying "Husain! Husain!" in collective sorrow. On the tenth day, the processions carrying the taziyas and alams is called Ashura. It terminates in open spaces called Imambaras, where the taziyas are buried, or in the local burial ground known as the Karbala. This tragedy is observed with great passion in Lucknow, in particular, as it is the centre of Shia culture and religious activities, and accordingly a large number of taziyas and the alams are taken out all over the city. In the village of Banagaon in the Jaunpur district of Uttar Pradesh, people wear black and celebrate the festival with grandeur.

Time: In the first month of the Muslim calendar.

Place: All parts of the country, particularly Lucknow.