Yazd to pay homage to martyrs of Karbala

Iranian province of Yazd has been preparing to hold symbolic funeral procession for Imam Hossein (AS) and his faithful companions.

As the whole country wears black to mourn the third Shia Imam, Imam Hossein (AS) during the first ten days of Muharram, the Iranian province of Yazd gets ready to observe the event with lots of symbolic rituals.

The locals in village of Khvormiz-e Olya in Yazd decorate Nakhl with mirror frames, and other pendants some days prior to the day of Ashura that they will perform Nakhl-Gardani.

Nakhl (meaning palm tree in English) is a handmade wooden structure to symbolize the coffin of Imam Hossein (AS), and the mirrors installed on it stand for the Imam’s inner light that reflects him as a guide for the nation.

The black hangings attached to the structure represent the sorrow Shia Muslims feel for the martyrdom of Imam Hossein (AS) and his faithful companions.

On Ashura, when the crowds carry Nakhl and start the mourning rite, the first thing to hear is the sound of bells installed on the structure. The bells represent bells of Imam Hossein’s (AS) caravan.

AA/MG