Day of Ashoura

It takes place on the 10th day of Muharram in Iran( an arabic month on lunar calendar) every year. It would fall somewhere in July ( July 29th) in 2023. Ashura is commemorated by Shi'a Muslims as a day of mourning for the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and his 72 faithful companions in the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD. This is a time for shi'a Muslims to show their devotion.

The event includes mourning. A lot of people cook large amount of different foods or prepare drinks and give it to people. (Nazri)

Following the customs, on this day and night numbers of people get together, making a large group, start mourning and walking in the streets from different neighborhood and old places like traditional and central bazar in different cities.

There are lots of big and small groups each of that ends up in a place where they would be welcomed with food and drinks.

It is curious to note that Iran's calendar, although it is solar, does not begin the year in January, but in Farvardin, at the end of March, coinciding with the spring equinox. It also uses the lunar calendar, and each lunar year has 11 days less than the solar one. Since events in Iran are calculated on the basis of the lunar calendar, they do not usually coincide from one year to the next. Therefore, if you are going to travel to Iran, book the dates to enjoy one of these popular festivals in Iran.