Islam has a lunar based calendar with 354 days. The New Year date also
changes every year as the Islamic Calendar is 11 days shorter than the
solar calendar. Maal Hijra or Islamic New Year is celebrated on the
first day of Muharram (first Islamic month). The word Muharram also
means respect. It is more of a cultural event than a New Year
celebration. People welcome the New Year with peace and prayers.
Islamic New Year's Day
New Year celebrated by Muslims is not a gala affair rather it's a quite
and sober celebration. People gather in mosques and dargahs to offer
special prayers. Muslims celebrate this day to pay homage to Prophet
Muhammad. The most important part is to tell the
hijra
(Muhammad's flight from Medina to Mecca). This story is also broadcast
on radio. Maal Hijra or the Islamic New Year is spent on reflecting how
one's leading his or her life and their own mortality.
The most recent trend of exchanging New Year cards and gifts have been
witnessed in many Muslim communities. However, Shia Muslims do not take
part in New Year activities. They commemorate the
Battle of Karbala
and observe it as a month of mourning. This commemoration ends on the
tenth day of Muharram called
Ashurah. Similarly, Sunni Muslims
do not take part in the New Year traditions as on this day first Caliph
Abu Bakr died.
Remembrance of Muharram
Remembrance of Muharram has become an important day for the Shias.
People enact the scenes of the Battle of Karbala in mosques. At some
places, people clad in black dresses. They recite sorrowful poems in the
memory of the martyrdom of Imran Hussain. Many males beat their chests
or walk barefoot over the burning coal to remember the sufferings of
Hussain. Loud cries of congregation can be heard which reflects their
inability to save Hussain from the torture and brutalities.
Later, food and other things of survival are distributed to the poor.
The first nine days of Muharram are spent in making an exact copy of
martyr's tomb with bamboo and paper. On the tenth day, Ashura,
processions are carried out through the streets with the beautifully
embellished tombs (also called taziyas). A horse leads the procession
relating to Hussain's horse, Dul Dul.
