Today was the 9th of
Muharram (9th and 10 being National Holidays) the
eve before Imam Hussain's Martrydom. Tonight processions known here as Jalous could be seen all over the city with thousands of devotees taking part in them. This Particular picture shows a decorated horse. It is known as the
"Zuljana" and is part of almost every procession that takes to the street tonight or tomorrow afternoon. The Zuljana is a representation of
Imam Hussain's loyal horse which the Imam rode all his life and during the
Battle of Karbala, The Imam had inherited the horse from
Prophet Muhammed.
9 comments:
Who owns, and decorates the Zuljana horse?
The horses are owned by organizations and Imambargahs (A Shia Mosque) and are decorated and cared for year round by them. They are funded by private donations and trust funds.
I'm glad to come back again for today's installment (and I get to look at yesterday's photo again - what a great shot!). Everyone seems to have reverence in their eyes - except the horse, but he looks like he's doing okay!
I enjoy reading and looking at the photos in this series.
We don't celebrate the Day of Karbala (?) at a national level in Indonesia because we don't have many Shiah population here. So, it's interesting to learn about this.
It's always interesting to learn about other cultures..
I wonder if the horse is trained to cope with the crowds..he's seems quite calm considering all the people..
Petrea & Eki Akhwan, 8th, 9th and 10th of Muharram have a very active participation in Pakistan, even though Pakistan is less than 20% Shia Muslims, The other muslim sects come out and participate in their own way, by distributing food, milk and water to the people in processions throughout the city.
Angela, even though the horses are trained to cope with the crowds in becomes impossible to control an emotional crowd that is running towards the horse, therefore the horse always has 8-10 handlers to control it and keep the crowd at bay as much as they can.
Great Picture!
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I'm heartened to hear of the other sects participating.
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