Celebration of Ashura in Nabatieh / Lebanon
Every year Shia Muslims worldwide celebrate the Day of Ashura, their most important holy day. It falls on the 10th day of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Shiites commemorate the martyrdom of Husain ibn Ali who was brutally killed during the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD in present day Iraq. Husain is recognized by the Shiites as the third Imam, the rightful successor of his grandfather Muhammad and the greatest hero of Shiite Muslims. Husain ibn Ali is the epitome of resistance, the martyr who fought tyranny and died for his religion and his people. Shiites believe the Battle of Karbala was between the good and evil and was fought to keep the Muslim religion untainted of any corruptions. The death of Husain led to the split into Shia and Sunni Islam. An-Nabatiya, a town of some 120,000 inhabitants located 10km of the Israeli border in southern Lebanon is one of the few places in the world where Ashura celebrations are still conducted in the so called „traditional" way which includes self-injuring. Commemorations of Battle in Karbala are made up of mourning rituals and passion plays. Thousands of men and women all clad in black symbolizing mourning parade through the streets slapping their chest and chanting. Men emulate the suffering of Husain by flagellating themselves with chains and cutting their forehead with razors. Young boys, often as young as two or three years old, are also being incised, though lightly. It is believed that by doing so the chances for salvation increase and the children's illnesses might retreat. The light incision still produces profuse amounts of blood, due to the location of the wound in the forehead.
Size: 5100px × 3400px
Location: Nabatieh, Lebanon
Photo credit: © Aleksander Bochenek / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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