Najaf gears up for Ashura with 870 processions
Shafaq News- Najaf
Millions of pilgrims are expected to converge on Najaf during Ashura commemorations this year, with 870 Hussaini Service groups set to participate in the annual mourning rituals, organizers said on Tuesday.
Najaf's head of the Hussaini Processions Authority, Zaki
Jarbou, told Shafaq News that the service groups provide pilgrims with
accommodation, food, and other essential services during the Ashura
commemorations.
Speaking to Shafaq News, Ali Al-Miyali, who organizes one of
the torch processions, said the ritual is among Najaf's most prominent Ashura
traditions and is held annually on the eighth, ninth, and tenth nights of
Muharram. Participants carry lit torches toward the shrine of Imam Ali amid
mourning chants and drumbeats. The ritual commemorates events associated with
the Battle of Karbala, including the burning of Imam Hussein's tents and the
suffering endured by his family, while expressing solidarity with the Imam and
his principles.
Al-Miyali said the tradition has been practiced in Najaf for more than a century, with historical accounts dating the first torch procession to 1914. The torches are typically made from wooden or metal poles topped with metal fixtures containing combustible materials, while participants are selected in advance by Najaf's tribes and prominent families and undergo special preparations for the event.
Read more: Muharram in Iraq: New year becomes a season of mourning
