Muharram - a short film, in Delhi

From the archive record

The most fantastic goose-bumpy (with all due respects, as the music and rhythm are so earthy) rhythmic chanting, accompanying self-flagellation on Muharram in Old Delhi, India. Muharram (Arabic: محرم) is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year in which fighting is prohibited. Since the Islamic calendar is lunar, Muharram moves from year to year when compared with the Gregorian calendar. Muharram is so called because it is unlawful to fight during this month; the word is derived from the word haram, meaning "forbidden". The shias start the mourning from the 1st night of Muharram which continues for 2 months and 8 days. However the first days are the most important since these were the days where Imam Hussain and his family/followers were put