Muharram festival

Muharram festival commemorates the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain, the grandson of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). This festival starts at the 1st day of Muharram and lasts for 10 days until 10th of Muharram. Muharram is the first month of Islamic calendar. Muharram is not a festival in the celebratory sense as it mourns the Karbala tragedy when Imam Hussain, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad, was martyred in the 61st year of the Hijra (AH) corresponding to 680 AD. During these first ten days of Muharram, drinking posts are also set up temporarily by the Shia community where water and juices are served to all, free of charge.

Muharram is observed as mourning largely in the Indian sub-continent, mainly by members of the Shia community of Muslims. In other parts of the Islamic world, with the exception of Iran, observing the tenth day of Muharram or the Yaum-Al-Ashura as a mourning day is considered as undesirable because Muharram is considered as one of the four blessed months chosen by Allah, long before the martyrdom of Imam Hussain.