Muharram
Muslim year's start
Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar and one of the four sacred months in which fighting is traditionally forbidden.
For Shia Muslims, it holds special significance as a period of mourning commemorating the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, at the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE.
The tenth day, Ashura, is marked by processions, recitations, and acts of devotion: The city's streets filled with mourners during Muharram.
Passionate expression of grief
- martyrdomSuffering for conviction
- remembranceAct of holding something in mind
- processionFormal moving line
- griefIntense sorrow from loss
tragedy · elegies · sacrifice · commemoration · shrine
Deliberate food avoidance
- prayerAddress to deity
- reflectionReturned light or thought
- abstinenceVoluntary forgoing of indulgences
- pietySincere religious devotion
reverence · solemnity · devotion · worship · supplication
- lunar calendarTimekeeping by moon phases
- new yearComing twelve months
- beginningInitial stage of something
- annual cycleRecurring twelve-month pattern
Formal moving line
- flagellationBeating with a whip
- reenactmentStaged reproduction of events
- chest-beatingOstentatious self-aggrandizement
- self-mortificationVoluntary bodily punishment for penance
lamentation
Passionate expression of grief
- martyrdomSuffering for conviction
- remembranceAct of holding something in mind
- processionFormal moving line
grief · tragedy · elegies · sacrifice · commemoration · shrine
fasting
Deliberate food avoidance
- prayerAddress to deity
- reflectionReturned light or thought
- abstinenceVoluntary forgoing of indulgences
piety · reverence · solemnity · devotion · worship · supplication
first month
- lunar calendarTimekeeping by moon phases
- new yearComing twelve months
- beginningInitial stage of something
procession
Formal moving line
- flagellationBeating with a whip
- reenactmentStaged reproduction of events
- chest-beatingOstentatious self-aggrandizement
Eid
Islamic holy celebration