Ashura in Beirut…

It’s been a busy 48 hours, witnessing how Ashura is commemorated here in Beirut, as well as all over the world–with large gatherings taking place in Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, Yemen and Pakistan. Though some of these gatherings are known to turn quite bloody from self-flagellation and the ritual cutting of the scalp, some places like Azerbaijan have encouraged blood donation instead.

Years ago, while I was studying Persian and “non-western” performance as a student at Brown, I had the opportunity to study Ashura performances of Ta’ziyeh–the only “indigenous epic dramatic tradition in the Middle East”–with Professors Bill Beeman and John Emigh. Since I had long been drawn to performances of ritual mourning (starting in ancient Egypt), I was immediately taken with Ta’ziyeh for its dramatization of martyrdom and its ritual embodiment of mourning. This classical form of religious drama, usually performed in Iran (see video below), had a profound influence on the artistic vision and productions of several celebrated theatre artists, such as Peter Brook, Jerzy Grotowski and Robert Wilson. Further, Mohammad Bagher Ghaffari staged a Sufi-inspired Ta’ziyeh, entitled Moses and the Wandering Dervish, at Trinity College in Connecticut in 1988.

Unfortunately, however, Ta’ziyeh wasn’t what made the news today. Earlier today in Iraq, at least 30 people were killed by a suicide bomber who targeted an Ashura gathering, and to prevent an attack like this at Ashura activities in Pakistan, cell phone service was suspended in cities throughout the country.

Here in Beirut today, offices and schools were closed to mark this religious holiday. In the past 48 hours, Ashura has been used as a platform to speak about a range of current events, such as the war in Syria, and nuclear negotiations with Iran. And despite the holiday–or perhaps because of it–rockets from Syria were still falling on northern Lebanon…