The "Day of Ashura" is a remembrance and mourning for Shiite Muslims. In Greece, it was commemorated on Saturday in Piraeus, with dozens of believers honouring the self-flagellation ceremony.
Dozens of Shia Muslims gathered at the Greek port city to commemorate the "Day of Ashura".
Ashura is a very important Islamic holiday, which takes place on the 10th day of the month of Muharram, the first month in the Islamic lunar calendar. This day marks the violent death of Husayn ibn Ali, grandson of the founder of Islam, Muhammad, and his family during the Battle of Karbala in present-day Iraq.
Shiite Muslims worldwide commemorate this day with commemorative processions and mourning rituals. In Greece, the only place where Ashura rituals are held yearly is a makeshift Shiite place of worship in Piraeus.
The celebration aims to connect believers with the suffering and martyrdom of Husayn, but also the sacrifices he made to keep Islam alive. Husayn's martyrdom, for Shia Muslims, is a symbol of the struggle against injustice and oppression. Shia Muslims also believe that the Battle of Karbala was a battle between the forces of good and evil, with Husayn representing the forces of good.
In short, the Day of Ashura is a day of remembrance and mourning.
In total, there are five major categories of rituals for the celebration of Ashura. Among them is whipping. Others use chains with blades, like the worshipers who gathered on Saturday in Piraeus, and others even use swords.
Some Shia clerics have criticised this practice, arguing that this custom "creates a backward and negative image of their community." However, those who participate perceive flogging as a process of atonement.
A popular Shia proverb says that "one tear shed for Husayn washes away a hundred sins."
The Battle of Karbala
The Battle of Karbala was an armed engagement in which Husayn, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad and claimant to the succession to the caliphate, was defeated and killed by a military force of the Umayyad Caliph Ziyad I.
It took place on October 10, 680 (10 Muharram 61, according to the Islamic Calendar) near the city of Karbala (in present-day Iraq).
The outcome of the confrontation helped to stabilise the Umayyad dynasty, which had its headquarters in Damascus. The anniversary of the battle, however, became a day of public mourning for Shiite Muslims.
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