Tim and Jeni: Month of Mourning

We are almost through the month of mourning that our Shia friends have each year. We've spent time being in our village and sitting with our friends during this time of mourning. We wore black out of respect for them.

It was obvious that it meant a lot to them that we were with them. The first ten days are the most intense time. each day there are multiple readings happening at the Hussainias. They ate together, cried together, and walked together. Hot milk, tea, and coffee were served and there were plenty of tissue boxes around.

Generally people don't cook and eat at home during the first ten days. They gather together to eat their meals. During the day they use these HUGE pots to cook rice and chicken.

The men and the women both work together to cook the food on the pots over a fire or over a big burner.

A few days before their mourning time we watched a few of these go up. They call it a Mudheef, basically a receiving place where men can sit together and drink tea.

A couple of the Mudheefs in our village didn't have a place to sit, but just a place to get tea or bread. Sometimes a lot of people would be gathered around waiting to get some tea.

One day I'll get a picture of the guys working inside. They have really big tea pots! They were working hard to make sure everyone got some tea or hot milk with rose water!

Throughout the village they displayed red and black flags and banners to remind them of why they were mourning.

They mourn many people who died at the Battle of Karbala in Iraq, that happened in the year 680. The one who is the most important is Hussein, their prophet Mohammed's grandson. Because he was next in the blood line of Muhammed, he was entitled to the leadership, according the Shia Muslims.

During the first ten days there were many organized mourning processions through the village. Some of the days there were multiple processions. They beat their chest or hit their backs with chains in display of mourning. It's very solemn and intense. Only the men and boys walk in the procession.