page_title: Punjabi festivals
section_title: Muharram
hierarchical_section_title: Punjabi festivals / Muslim festivals / Muharram
caption_attribution_description: Shia Muslims commemorate the martyrdom of Hussein ibn Ali on the Day of Ashura during Sunni-Shia conflict in the early history of Islam. Muharram is the day of mourning. Shia march in the streets, self flagellating, flailing and beating themselves. Certain traditional flagellation rituals such as Talwar zani (talwar ka matam or sometimes tatbir) use a sword. Other rituals such as zanjeer zani or zanjeer matam involve the use of a zanjeer (a chain with blades).
context_page_description: Punjabi festivals are various festive celebrations observed by Punjabis in Pakistan, India and the diaspora Punjabi community found worldwide. The Punjabis area diverse group of people from different religious background that affects the festivals they observe. According to a 2007 estimate, the total population of Punjabi Muslims is about 90 million, with 97% of Punjabis who live in Pakistan following Islam, in contrast to the remaining 30 million Punjabi Sikhs and Punjabi Hindus who predominantly live in India.
  The Punjabi Muslims typically observe the Islamic festivals, do not observe Hindu or Sikh religious festivals, and in Pakistan the official holidays recognize only the Islamic festivals. The Punjabi Sikhs and Hindus typically do not observe these, and instead observe historic festivals such as Lohri, Basant and Baisakhi as seasonal festivals. The Sikh and Hindu festivals are regional official holidays in India, as are major Islamic festivals. Other seasonal Punjabi festivals in India include Teejon and Maghi. Teeyan is also known as festival of womens as women's enjoy with their friends .On the day of maghi people fly kites and eat their traditional dish khichdi.
context_section_description: Remembrance of Muharram is a set of rituals associated with Shia, which takes place in Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar. Many of the events associated with the ritual take place in congregation halls known as Hussainia.  The event marks the anniversary of the Battle of Karbala when Imam Hussein ibn Ali, the grandson of Muhammad, was killed by the forces of the second Umayyad caliph Yazid I at Karbala. Family members, accompanying Hussein ibn Ali, were killed or subjected to humiliation.  The commemoration of the event during yearly mourning season, from first of Muharram to twentieth of Safar with Ashura comprising the focal date, serves to define Shia communal identity.
  In Pakistani Punjab, Muharram is celebrated twice, once according to the Muslim year and again on the 10th of harh.
caption: A street observation of Muharram in Lahore Pakistan
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