Imam Husayn and his family and followers, consisting of 72 people, included women, children and aged people, and were killed by Yazid. It was in the first month of the Islamic calendar,.Muharram on the 10th day, that the battle, known as Ashurah occured. It was 61 years after Hijra.
Meetings, Majlises, and sermons are offered, demonstrating the value the sacrifices Husayn made for Islam. There are public processions, and chanting, weeping, and mourning Husayn, and his family, and followers. Shias show their grief, through weeping and beating their chests with their hands an action called matam.. Even forty days after Ashurah, Shias mourn the death of Hussein in a commemoration called Arba'een. Some Shia mourners flagellate themselves with whips. Battle of Karbala has inspired a number of genres, such as marsiya, noha and soaz.
