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Ashura






So on the bus coming home on Sunday I look out of the window and see all this going on. The road is down to one lane and there are hundreds of people walking around, with banners and a big group of topless men in the middle chanting and vigorously slapping their chests in rhythm. I recognise this as the big Shia festival with ritual mourning for the martyrdom of Husayn. I later found out it was at the Battle of Karbala in Iraq. I remebering see them doing this on the news in Iraq after decades of being banned from doing it during the time of Saddam Hussain. But they also do it in Manchester.

So I decided to get off and take some pictures. I have a new digital camera so it was a good opportunity to play with it. Some pictures didn't come out that well in the fading light of the winter late afternoon, but I still thought these pictures were worth sharing.

Comments

Jaume de Marcos Andreu said…
The same ritual took place in Barcelona. The City Hall granted permission on the grounds that no blood was shed.
11:18 pm
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