Rakdha Tuwairaj Ritual Held in Karbala (+Videos)
Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims took part in the ceremony after Noon and Asr prayers, according to Al-Kafeel news website.
They chanted “Labayk Ya Hussein (AS)”(I am here, O Hussein!) It is a symbolic statement of solidarity with Imam Hussein (AS), his values, and his historic mission.
Rakdha Tuwairaj is a ritual on Ashura in which mourners walk barefoot from the town of Hindya (formerly known as Tuwairaj) near Karbala to the holy shrines of Imam Hussein (AS) and Hazrat Abbas (AS) while beating their head and chest and then leave the shrines within a short time.
It is a way of renewing allegiance with the aspirations of the Ashura uprising.
The ritual has been held every year for some 140 years, with the exception of the time the Ba’athist regime of former dictator Saddam Hussein ruled Iraq.
The participants in the ritual on Tuesday carried Ya Hussein banners as well as flags of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units, AKA Hashd al-Shaabi.
As Shia Muslims around the world mourn the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein (AS) and his companions in the 680AD Battle of Karbala, the largest number of pilgrims since 2003 have visited the holy city in recent days.
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