The beginning of the third mourning period of "Muharramshahr" in Azadi Square and the reactions to it
The beginning of the third mourning period of "Muharramshahr" in Azadi Square was met with widespread reactions.
"Mostafa Zibainejad," the Director General of Culture of Tehran Municipality, said at a press conference for Tehran's "Moharramshahr" ritual mourning: "The third ritual mourning of Moharramshahr, with the slogan "Iran, Hussein is victorious forever," will be held every night from Tuesday, July 21 to August 5, from 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM in Azadi Square."
He added in the press conference: "The Muharramshahr mourning is a ritual, artistic, and religious mourning, and an attempt has been made to use attractive and artistic elements. Accordingly, this year, the ship symbol was designed based on the prophetic hadith "Hussain is the ship of salvation" and has become the main symbol. The dimensions of this symbol are 530 square meters. In addition, a space similar to the Haramain will be formed in Azadi Square. Several programs have been designed for Muharramshahr, and in accordance with the theme of the authority of the Islamic Republic and the unity of the people, in addition to ritual and religious programs, we will also carry out other popular programs."
Ziba-nejad stated: "Every night, speakers, drumming and eulogy groups are present at this ritual mourning. In addition, several interactive works have also been implemented, one of which is the installation of 7 tiled structures with images of the martyrs of authority; people will install these pieces of tile, and after the end of Muharram, these tiled structures will be installed on 7 highways in the city. These structures are a memorial to the oppressed martyrs of Iran in recent wars, one of which is related to the martyred children and women."
He also referred to the artists' tent and added: "In the artists' tent, 10 inscriptions measuring 10 by 25 meters will be written with the participation of calligraphy masters and the public, and these works will be installed along the Arbaeen walking route at Karbala municipality stations. The program's decor has also changed every year; the first year was Hazrat Abbas' helmet, the second year was a ring attributed to Imam Hussein (AS), and this year, the entrance courtyard of Imam Hussein's (AS) Bab al-Qibla has been designed and can be installed, creating a spiritual and pleasant atmosphere."
The Director General of Cultural Affairs of Tehran Municipality announced the presence of street theater groups in the ceremony and added: "This year, two processions will be hosted by the families of the martyrs, and the Arbaeen Essentials Exhibition, with 67 booths, will offer a range of pilgrims' necessities at reasonable prices."
The installation of religious symbols in Azadi Square for the religious ceremony of "Muharramshahr" and the publication of its images on social networks have caused widespread reactions. The installation of this procession in Tehran's Grand Square comes at a time when government officials had turned to promoting nationalist symbols and patriotic songs after the 12-day war between Israel and Iran and the declaration of a ceasefire. They also intended to create a sense of Iranian love among the people by performing Iranian national songs by the Tehran Symphony Orchestra in Azadi Square.
Some users said about the ceremony: "Putting a procession around historical and ancient sites has become fashionable for some time and has taken over almost most cities in Iran. They want to force people to follow their ideology under any circumstances, even if it means holding congregational prayers and processions in the main square or on the sidewalks leading to the market. In other words, people do not go to the mosque, so they have brought the mosque to the square in retaliation."
