Kurdish city mourns Imam Hussein’s death with mud not blood
In some countries Shiite followers of Imam Hussein draw chains, knives and swords to mark his death. They bloody themselves to remember his murder in the hands of the caliph of Damascus.
But his followers in the Iranian Kurdish city of Bijar are marking this day differently. They smear themselves with mud. Muddying your face and head is another tradition way of mourning.
They mix fine clean soil with water and men, women and children rub it on their heads and mourn the death of Hassan and Hussein. This occurs on the 10th day of Muharram which is the day Hussein was martyred.
Local Sunnis and even Jews too honor this day because it’s believed that it was on that day that Moses escaped the Pharos and Noah’s Ark saved him.
But his followers in the Iranian Kurdish city of Bijar are marking this day differently. They smear themselves with mud. Muddying your face and head is another tradition way of mourning.
They mix fine clean soil with water and men, women and children rub it on their heads and mourn the death of Hassan and Hussein. This occurs on the 10th day of Muharram which is the day Hussein was martyred.
Local Sunnis and even Jews too honor this day because it’s believed that it was on that day that Moses escaped the Pharos and Noah’s Ark saved him.
Bijar is in Sanandaj province and 142 km from the provincial capital. It’s an old Kurdish city. They speak Kalhori here and the population is a mix of Shiites and Sunnis.