On the eve of the first day of Muharram, first month on the lunar Hijri calendar, black flags have been put up on the holy shrines of Imam Hussein (AS) and Hazrat Abbas (AS) in Karbala, Iraq.
In a ceremony held Saturday morning, the red flags that were on top of the holy shrines' domes were replaced with black ones.
This symbolizes that the time has come for mourning ceremonies commemorating the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein (AS) and his companions.
Every year, millions of Muslims around the world mourn the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS) and his 72 faithful companions on Ashura, the tenth day of Muharram.
Ashura ceremonies symbolize eternal and unwavering stance of truth against falsehood and humanity's struggle against tyranny realized by Imam Hussein (AS).
This year, Muharram begins on Sunday, October 26 and the day of Ashura falls on Tuesday, November 4.
Meanwhile, Iraqi police have prepared special security measures to ensure security for mourning processions during the first ten days of Muharram.
A number of terrorist elements who were plotting to carry out terrorist attacks against Muharram mourners have been arrested by Iraq's security forces in the past few days.
source : www.iqna.ir
