05 December 2011 Women in the Iranian city of Khorramabad are
dressed for the ceremony of Chehel Manbar. The commemoration of
the battle of Karbala, when Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet
Muhammad, was killed, is one of the most important ceremonies of
the year for Shia Muslims. On the ninth day of the Muslim month
of Muharram—on the eve of the climactic Day of Ashura—women in
some regions participate in Chehel Manbar. In an act of mourning
for Hussein they go veiled and barefoot to light candles at
forty different locations. Ceremonies differ from city to city,
according to regional traditions. In Khorramabad, women light
candles in the doorways of houses and offer cookies to the
occupants. They may also cover their head and shoulders with
clay in an act of mourning.