Eternal Performance: Taziyah and Other Shiite Rituals

Over The Centuries, Observances Of Muharram, The First Month Of The Islamic Calendar, Have Traveled Far From Their Origins At KarbalaA Windswept Desert Plain That Is Now A Town In PresentDay IraqWhere, According To Tradition, Hussein, The Beloved Grandson Of Prophet Muhammad, Was Brutally Put To Death Together With SeventyTwo Of His Male Companions On The Tenth Day Of The Month. For This Reason, Muharram Is Synonymous With Both The First Month And The Tenth Day. HusseinS Passion And Death Are Considered The Ultimate Example Of Sacrifice For Shia Muslims And Scores Of Rituals Devoted To Muharram Have Developed During The Last Thirteen Centuries, Especially In Iran Where Twelver ShiIsm Became The State Religion In The Sixteenth Century.As Peter Chelkowski Describes In Eternal Performance, Many Of These Rituals Were Exported To Other Lands Over Time. They Crossed Boundaries And Cultures From Iran And Iraq To Lebanon, The Indian Subcontinent, North America, And The Caribbean. Yet All Muharram Rituals, No Matter Where Or How They Are Performed, Have Their Origins In Karbala. The Transformation And Transmission Of These Observances To Their PresentDay Forms Around The World Are The Result Of The Intersection Of Multiple Races, Religions, And Artistic Traditions. Eternal Performance Explores The Social, Political, Cultural, Artistic, And Religious Significance Of Muharram Rituals For Millions Of Global Observers.