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