Ashura30

No, you are not on the set of Game of Thrones or The Walking Dead. You are in Iran and the men in chainmail wandering through the streets or those covered with mud and walking like zombies are actually celebrating Ashura. Ashura is famous for the people practising self-flagellation but Ashura is more than that. For the Shia people, the Day of Ashura is the tenth day of Muharram (the first month of the Islamic lunar calendar) and commemorates the killing of Imam Hussein and his 72 relatives and friends by the Umayyad caliphate in Karbala, Iraq. In Iran, this is the time for unique celebrations all over the country. Very few foreigners dare to attend them as they are afraid of the atmosphere, which may seem gloomy or even hostile for those who do not understand the meaning of the event. In fact, people are happy to share their culture and everyone is welcome.