Ashura 2011: Dates, Rituals And History Explained (PHOTOS)

WARNING: Some images of Ashura observance are graphic:

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Ashura in Iraq

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Iraqi Shiite Muslims march in a parade marking the month of Muharram in preparation for the festival Ashura on Dec. 1 in Baghdad, Iraq. Ashura marks the death of Prophet Muhammad's grandson the revered Imam Hussein in Karbala, Iraq 1,300 years ago. Shiite festivals were prohibited during the time of Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein's rule. Iraq is transitioning as the U.S. military continues its withdrawal from the country by the end of December following the war that began in 2003.

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Iraqi Shiite Muslims march in a parade marking the month of Muharram in preparation for the festival Ashura on Dec. 1 in Baghdad, Iraq. Ashura marks the death of Prophet Muhammad's grandson the revered Imam Hussein in Karbala, Iraq 1,300 years ago. Shiite festivals were prohibited during the time of Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein's rule. Iraq is transitioning as the U.S. military continues its withdrawal from the country by the end of December following the war that began in 2003.

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Ashura, an optional fast day for Muslims that commemorates different things for Sunnis and Shiites, falls on Dec. 4-5, 2011. The word itself, ashura, means 10, and the holiday is the 10th day of the Islamic month of Muharram. The Islamic calendar is lunar, so the date of Ashura can vary depending on sighting of the moon.

Ashura marks many things: the creation of the world, Noah's departure from the ark, Moses' flight from Egypt and the martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, Hussein ibn Ali, in 680 A.D.

Sunni Muslims consider Ashura a fast day for two reasons: Muhammad fasted then and Moses fasted in appreciation of the successful Exodus for Egypt. Shiite Muslims mark Ashura as a day of mourning for the Prophet Muhammad's grandson. In fact, Hussein's martyrdom is one of two major events that led to the Sunni-Shiite split in Islam. Shiites, who constitute Islam's second-largest denomination (about 10-15 percent of the world Muslim population), consider Hussein to be the one true heir of Muhammad's legacy.

Shiite Muslims observe Ashura through mourning rituals such as self-flagellation and reenactments of the martyrdom. Many travel to Karbala in Iraq, where Hussein was killed, as a pilgrimage on Ashura. Most observers wear black and march through the streets chanting and hitting themselves in the chest. Some use whips and chains -- or cut themselves on the forehead -- to ritually punish their bodies. This practice has been condemned by some Shiite leaders, so Ashura blood drives are often organized as a substitute.

Comments

[dancingbones]

02:08 PM on 03/10/2012

Self-flagellation seems a better idea than stoning to death kids who wear 'emo' clothes...

[ravennightfall31]

09:18 PM on 03/08/2012

The Marquis De Sade would be proud!

[iLdoRight]

02:06 AM on 12/12/2011

Caption suggestion; " I Do This To Make My Mama Proud, Wait Is Pride Bad ? "

[Sean Robsville]

11:26 AM on 12/11/2011

Guys, self-flagellation is so sad! Why not hire the services of Miss Fatima Whiplash - Dawah instructress and strict disciplinarian - only $100 an hour.

[Forester]

01:54 PM on 12/09/2011

This reminds me of the catholic Penitentes I've seen around Santa Fe.

[ThinkCreeps]

06:09 PM on 12/10/2011

Brains of a feather...

[altoplano]

12:30 PM on 12/08/2011

I hope that children are not permitted to take part in this.

[ThinkCreeps]

03:29 PM on 12/06/2011

Ashura: isn't that a french food services company?

[elvisd]

07:09 AM on 12/06/2011

I love this! Check the video above where the s-eating grin show host says: "Here's a holiday that that millions of you already celebrate........ that you can tryi in your own home....a new celebration that we desperately need..." I'm speechless. We desperately need to import a barbaric tradition of self flagellation. This kind of stuff is why I left liberalism.

[volanj]

07:48 PM on 02/28/2012

Unbelievable...

[SheikPA]

02:26 PM on 12/05/2011

Self flagellation is a cultural theme. Its not mandatory. Ashura commemorations vary among different nations, but what unites us all, are the tears for Husayn.

[Dragosurfer]

12:37 AM on 12/06/2011

No, what unites you all is a belief in an out-dated, primitive, myth and superstition based religion. It's really hard to describe in words just how ridiculous these religious beliefs are to me. They are so obviously false and man-made that I have trouble believing that anyone can be so brainwashed as to actually hurt themselves over one of these religious beliefs.

FYI: I'm saying this as an Atheist, not as a believer in any other equally ignorant, man-made, myth and superstition based, primitive religions.

[T Halim]

10:20 PM on 12/07/2011

Dude, you obviously didn't read what he said. It's not part of the religion, it's a cultural thing. In fact, the cultural practice is backwards. It's actually a sin to hurt yourself like that in Islam for any reason.

Atheists need to get their heads out of their... wherever.

[ThinkCreeps]

01:47 PM on 12/05/2011

Self-flagellating lunatics. It doesn't get much better than that.

[Red Leaves]

01:19 PM on 12/05/2011

Speaking as the son of an Iranian expatriate, I find these particular rituals revolving around Ashura exceedingly creepy, crude, disgusting and barbaric. This puts me in the mind of the sort of thing the Mayans and Aztecs would do before they sacrificed rival tribe members to their gods. Any kind of religious ritual where blood sacrifice is encouraged should be called out for what it is: atavistic barbarism.

[Challlie]

01:06 PM on 12/05/2011

atheists were having too much fun believing something which would subject them to eternal suffering. these religious people are just trying to show the strength of their conviction in a similar way the best they can. every whip is another virgin in the afterlife perhaps - but it still stings!

[Dragosurfer]

01:05 PM on 12/05/2011

So here we are on planet Earth, somewhere in the Milky way galaxy, one on Billions of galaxies in the known universe, where can only have a rough estimate of how many billions ofsolar systems there might be like ours; and many humans actually believe that there is a god that created all this, and that god actually gives a damn what they do on a daily basis here on Earth! Wow! The ignorance is astounding!

This is why the various religious leaders do everything in their power to brainwash children and shelter them from outside influences; because no educated, logical, clear-thinking adult can believe any of this religious nonsense!

[Jelle NL]

12:57 PM on 12/05/2011

Ashura teaches us that inflicting pain is neither good nor beautiful.

[volanj]

07:51 PM on 02/28/2012

Like we did not know this without Ashura :)

[PATOISJAM]

12:04 PM on 12/05/2011

Beating oneself is a senseless act and to this point, despicable. It does not make me happy to look at these pictures so if this is something that actually makes these people happy or make their gods happy, it should make one think about the kind of gods being worshipped here.

Either beating someone or beating oneself is violence and that is not condoned by the Holy Scriptures. The Apostle Paul said to watch out for those who mutilate the flesh as ones not holding to the true faith and not serving the true God. Philippians 3:2

[Dragosurfer]

01:07 PM on 12/05/2011

Well, at least the truly ignorant, brainwashed, religious zealots are easy to spot.