Elderly women wailed, scratching their cheeks until they nearly drew blood; while a young woman shrieked in a high-pitched voice, crying the loudest among them. Their appearance was one of deep shock and bereavement at the death of their relative.
In this part of the country, mourning usually comes with an intense display of emotion bordering on asceticism. But the scene also had a distinctly contemporary aspect from the COVID-19 era, with each person spaced by a few meters, apparently fearing transmission of the novel coronavirus.
“What a blow this loss has dealt to us! God, let no one suffer what we are going through,” said the mourning woman while beating her own body out of grief. A high wind carrying dust swept down the alley amid the loud mourning of men and women, adding to the already distressing atmosphere.
This was the funeral of Fayaq Fathi, a 54-year-old man, held Tuesday in an alley of Naisar neighborhood, eastern Sanandaj.
