Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar. The importance of this month for Shi'a Muslims is because of the tragedy of Karbala and the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS), the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and 72 of his loyal companions in the battle of Karbala on Ashura day (Muharram 10, 61 AH).
After the martyrdom of the third Shi’a Imam in Muharram, this month turned into the month of mourning ceremonies for Shi'a Muslims in the world, and Ashura day held special significance within Islam.
Today, holding large-scale mourning ceremonies and rituals in Muslim communities around the world conveys the message that “Every day is Ashura and every land is Karbala.”
Like all Shia Muslims around the world, Iranian people in all cities observe mourning ceremonies of Muharram month with their own local rituals and traditions in different religious venues to commemorate the courageous martyrdom of their beloved Imam.
Known as the capital of passion and recognition for Imam Hossein (AS), the Zanjan province of Iran annually attracts hundreds of thousands of mourners from Iran and foreign countries to attend the mourning ceremonies of Great Husseiniya of Zanjan.
Having a history of more than a century, the Great Husseiniya of Zanjan is one of the religious places of Zanjan which has been dedicated by two of the city’s benefactors, Haj Mirza Mohammad Naghi and Haj Mirza Babaei.
Great Husseiniya of Zanjan is world-famous for hosting a large gathering on the eighth day of Muharram, known as the Day of al-Abbas, which is specifically allocated to Al-Abbas ibn Ali whose martyrdom was the symbol of loyalty in the battle of Karbala.
The famous gathering or mourning procession of Great Hoseiniyah of Zanjan is annually participated by almost 500,000 mourners on the Day of al-Abbas who walks a distance of more than 2 kilometers from Great Husseiniya towards the Imamzadeh Seyyed Ibrahim to display their lamentation for the Shiite Imams, especially Imam Hussein (AS).
In this mourning procession which takes place from mid-day prayer to noon prayer, mourners in black attire show their sorrow by beating their chests in mourning to the tune of beating drums and rehearsing sad poems alongside the Maddah (eulogist) who sings the sad poems with a specific rhythm about Karbala incidents, and Imam Hussein (AS).
The grandeur of this procession and the presence of hundreds of thousands of people is so great that it has never been seen anywhere in Iran.
Annually, this glorious event is broadcasted live so that people around the globe can watch it through IRIB TV, foreign TV channels, and online platforms.
Being unique in its kind, the procession of the Great Husseiniya of Zanjan was registered as the country's tenth cultural and spiritual heritage in the list of cultural heritage, tourism, and handicrafts on January 4, 2009.
Great Hoseiniyah of Zanjan second alter in Islamic World after Mecca
Regarding the fact that helping the poor is a must in Islam, annually, thousands of sacrificial animals, including camels, cows, and sheep are donated by Husseini mourners to the Husseiniya of Zanjan.
In recent years, the record of sacrificing 12,000 herds of animals by the mourners of Imam Hussein (AS) has been registered.
Regarding the huge number of sacrificial animals slaughtered by mourners in the path of the mourning procession, the Great Husseiniya of Zanjan is considered as the first altar in the Shi'a world and the second altar in the Islamic world after the Mina city of Mecca during the Hajj pilgrimage.
The meat of sacrificed animals is distributed among the needy people of the province in order to help them with their livelihood affairs.
Also, every year, a huge amount of money and gold is donated by mourners and religious tourists which is finally utilized in charity affairs such as building schools, clinics, libraries, and even creating jobs for needy people.
In Muharram 2021, a total of 4.5 billion tomans was donated by mourners to the Hoseiniyah of Zanjan which is one of the largest centers of Shi'a Muslims in the world.
‘Hosseini infants’ ceremony in Great Husseiniya of Zanjan
Each year, on the first Friday of Muharram, Husseiniya of Zanjan host many mothers who attend the ‘Hosseini infants’ ceremony in commemoration of Ali Asghar (AS), the six-month-old baby boy of Imam Hussein (AS), who was the youngest person martyred in the Battle of Karbala.
Reported by Marzieh Rahmani