It was held as hundreds of thousands of pilgrims were present at the holy shrine of Imam Hussein (AS) to mourn the martyrdom anniversary of the third Shia Imam (AS) and his companions.

Those taking part in the Rakdha Tuwairaj ritual 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.

The Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), also known as Hashd al-Shaabi, deployed 2,000 forces to ensure the security of the event.

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.

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