As a religious season, The Mourning of Muharram (or Remembrance of Muharram or Muharram Observances) is a set of rituals associated with both Shia and Sunni Islam. The commemoration falls in Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar. Many of the events associated with the ritual take place in congregation halls known as Hussainia.
The event marks the anniversary of the Battle of Karbala, when Imam Hussein ibn Ali, the grandson of Muhammad, was killed by the forces of the second Umayyad caliph. Family members accompanying him were killed or subjected to humiliation. The commemoration of this event during the yearly mourning season, with the Day of Ashura as the focal date, serves to define Shia communal identity. Muharram observances are carried out in countries with a sizable Shia population.
With regards to the approaching mourning days, British Alevi Federation released a press statement emphasising the importance of the Mourning of Muharram. The statement follows expressions as follows:
“For Alevis, Karbala isn’t only about a name of a place nor about Hüseyin and Yezit. Hüseyin represents the resistance of the oppressed and Yezit represents the fall of evil… Karbala today is Irak, Syria, Cizre and Ankara. Karbala is everywhere where oppression rules.
We hold our mourning with remembering the contemporary representations of Karbala…”
2017 Mourning of Muharram Dates:
17-18-19 September Masum-u Paklar Fasting
20 September – Mother Fatma Fast
21 September – 2 October: Muharram Mourning Fast
3 October – Ashura Day
8 October – Ashura Days in Cemevis
