00:00You may have seen the black flags, the processions, the quiet tears, but what do they really mean?
00:09Let's walk through the sights, sounds and symbols of Muharram.
00:17It starts with black, a colour that symbolises a quiet declaration of grief, defiance and remembrance.
00:26Then comes the Matam, the chest beating in rhythm.
00:31It mourns Karbala, where Imam Hussain and his 72 followers were killed, refusing to surrender to tyranny the Shias believe.
00:39Every chant carries one name, Hussain.
00:44In every procession, the alam stands tall, a sacred standard, silver-plated, feathered and fierce.
00:51It represents Hazrat Abbas, Imam Hussain's half-brother, warrior and flag bearer of Karbala.
00:56He died trying to bring water to the thirsty, his arms cut off, his body broken, but he never let the flag fall.
01:04Zuljana walks without a rider, adorned in white.
01:10It stands for Hussain's loyal horse, who returned from the battlefield alone, bloodied, riderless and bearing the weight of loss.
01:18In South Asia, the Tazia leads the way.
01:24Replicas of Imam Hussain's tomb, handcrafted from bamboo, paper and silver foil.
01:29They're carried like coffins, lifted through the streets in mourning.
01:32And on the 10th day, they're buried, burnt or immersed as a final farewell to Karbala.
01:38Muharam for Shias around the world is a living legacy.
01:41A story of 72 lives who chose dignity over survival, truth over silence.
01:46I'm Manish Adhikari, thank you for watching The Culture Project and more.
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