Chehel Minbari (original) (raw)

Chehel Minbari is a special tradition practiced in Iran's western Lorestān Province, in which thousands of women commemorate the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein. Women from cities and towns across Lorestān Province cover their faces completely with black cloth and walk in silence as they knock on the doors of 40 houses and light candles in 40 spots as mourners beat their chests in their grief over the suffering and martyrdom of Imam Hussein along with 72 of his loyal companions in Karbala in , in 680 CE.