Hundreds of Shia Muslims chant and beat their chests as they march through streets of Blackburn in annual event to mark Ashura
- Shia Muslims in Blackburn marked Ashura, a holy day, by beating their chests
Hundreds of Shia Muslims chanted and beat their chests as they marched through the streets of Blackburn in an annual event to mark Ashura.
Ashura is an Islamic holy day to commemorate the death of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of Muhammad, who was beheaded at the Battle of Karbala in AD680.
Many of the Shia Muslims in Blackburn were barefoot as they held banners and followed a coffin draped with black cloth.
They paused to beat their chest in unison as they chanted mournful melodies to show their grief.
The Battle of Karbala took place in modern-day central Iraq, around 60 miles southwest of Baghdad.
Hundreds of Shia Muslims chanted and beat their chests (pictured) as they marched through the streets of Blackburn in an annual event to mark Ashura
Ashura is an Islamic holy day to commemorate the death of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of Muhammad, who was beheaded at the Battle of Karbala in AD680
Many of the Shia Muslims in Blackburn were barefoot as they held banners and followed a coffin draped with black cloth
It became a key event in Shia theology and Husayn's death and those of his children turned into a symbol of sacrifice and the struggle against wrongdoing and injustice.
Ashura occurs on the tenth day of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar.
The procession in Blackburn was organised by volunteers, who spoke to passersby about the meaning and history behind the event.
Many of the men's chests were noticeably red after they beat them during the procession.
They paused to beat their chest in unison as they chanted mournful melodies to show their grief
The procession in Blackburn was organised by volunteers, who spoke to passersby about the meaning and history behind the event
People living in the houses on the streets watched from the windows as the procession took place
Shia Muslims of all ages took part in the historic annual event marking the death of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of Muhammad, who was beheaded at the Battle of Karbala in AD680
Two horses later joined the march, which barely disrupted traffic and no police officers were reportedly needed.
Around the world, Shia Muslims also mark the day with plays about the battle as well as sermons and prayers.
Others set out on pilgrimages to Husayn's shrine in Karbala.
Around the world, Shia Muslims also mark the day with plays about the battle as well as sermons and prayers
Other Shia Muslims set out on pilgrimages to Husayn's shrine in Karbala, in central Iraq
The men's chests were noticeably red after they beat them while on the procession in Blackburn
Ashura occurs on the tenth day of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar
Many devout Shia Muslims in the Middle East often flagellate themselves with chains and swords, leaving the streets soaked in blood as part of the holy day.
The ritual bloodletting carried out by men and boys is said to wash away sins and act as a symbol of mourning for Hussein.
Across India, Pakistan, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Afghanistan and other countries with Shia populations, devotees see their pristine white robes turn red as blood pours from their heads after cutting themselves with ceremonial knives.
IRAQ: Shiite Muslims take part in the 'Tatbir' bloodletting ritual as an act of mourning marking Ashura, a 10-day period commemorating the seventh century killing of Prophet Muhammad's grandson Imam Hussein
INDIA: A man's back is torn to shreds as he repeatedly whips himself as part of the annual celebration for Shiite Muslims
LEBANON: Shiite Muslims bleed after gashing their foreheads during a procession to mark Ashura in Nabatieh
PAKISTAN: Shiite Muslims flagellate themselves during Ashura Day procession in Peshawar during the month of Muharram
Shiite Muslims in the Middle East flagellated themselves with chains and swords, leaving the streets soaked in blood, marking the day of Ashura
Devotees saw their pristine white robes turn red as blood poured from their heads after cutting themselves with ceremonial knives
A boy slashes his back using blades attached to chains as onlookers wearing black stand around during the ritual
Shiite Muslims flagellating themselves in New Delhi
In the city of Najaf in Iraq, a man's head is bandaged after he drew blood with a sharp knife. Najaf is one of the spiritual capitals of Shiite Muslims
A supporter of Iraqi populist leader Moqtada al-Sadr gashes his head during a ceremony marking Ashura
The ritual bloodletting is carried out by men and boys
Hussein's killing at the hands of a rival Muslim faction embodies the rift between the Sunni and Shiite sects of Islam
The public rituals of Ashura often fuel sectarian tensions in places like Iraq, Lebanon and Pakistan where Islam's two main sects both reside
In Iraq (pictured), the powerful cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has used the emotional religious occasion to stir up support for his movement
A young supporter of Shiite Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr takes part in the 'Tatbir' bloodletting ritual
A man dripping in blood applies a cut to another's head
In major cities across the region, believers commemorated the seventh-century martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson Hussein by drawing blood from their own bodies
Young boy made to walk over burning coal in Lahore, Pakistan
A young boy runs across burning coal during a commemoration ceremony in Lahore, Pakistan
A Pakistani boy runs across the hot coals
Young participant: A man holds a baby during an Ashura cutting ceremony
A woman bandages the head of a child
A Lebanese Shiite child with a bleeding forehead
An Lebanese Shiite man cuts the forehead of a woman with a razor
A Shi'ite Muslim man uses a knife to gash a child's head to mark Ashura in Chennai (Madras), India
Shiite Muslims make a cut on the forehead of a child with a knife
A man carries a child
young girl about to feel a blade slice open her skin
young boys covered in blood parade down the street
An Indian Shia Muslim boy stares intently at a sharp knife before he is flagellated
Lebanese Shiite Muslim children covered in blood during a flagellation ceremony in southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh
A young boy braces himself for a knife across the head in the Iraqi city of Najaf
A young boy bows his head to an elder, who takes a long knife to the child's scalp
Iraqi Shiite Muslim boy is seen before being cut on the head
An Iraqi Shiite boy looks at his picture
Iraqi Shiite boys take part in a self-flagellation procession
A Pakistani Shiite Muslim boy prepares to flagellate himself with chains and blades
Peshawar, Pakistan, boys covered in blood after hitting themselves with blades and chains
Shiite Muslim boy with his face covered in blood after he was cut on the forehead with a razor during Ashura in Nabatiyeh town, southern Lebanon
A woman braces herself as a Muslim man prepares to draw blood from her scalp
A shiite Muslim boy bleeds profusely after slashing his head with a razorblade
A baby bleeds from a cut on the forehead with a razor during the ritual to mark Ashura in Nabatiyeh town, Lebanon
Young children in a Muharram procession in Ahmadabad, India
An Indian Shiite Muslim cut the forehead of a child with a knife
In Myanmar Shiite Muslim devotees ran barefoot over a bed of burning coals
The climax of the Muharram is reached on its tenth day with the marking of the Ashura festival
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