Preparations Underway for Arbaeen Pilgrimage
TEHRAN (Basirat): Preparations are underway for participation of more than three million Iranians in this year’s Arbaeen pilgrimage, an official said.
Hassan Palarak, who is in charge of the popular contributions committee of the Arbaeen Headquarters, said that catering to the needs of the large number of pilgrims requires making utmost preparation.
He was speaking at a meeting of the committee in Tehran on Tuesday.
Palarak added that 13 committees are active at the Arbaeen Headquarters, 12 of which make the preparations for sending pilgrims to Iraq and then the last one, namely the popular contributions committee, takes over to provide accommodations, food and transportation for the pilgrims.
He called on all related organizations and bodies, including the ministries of agriculture and industry, mine and trade, and the Customs Administration, to cooperate with the headquarters in the preparations for the massive religious event.
Arbaeen, meaning “the fortieth” in Arabic, is observed 40 days after Ashura, the tenth day of the lunar calendar month of Muharram, when Imam Hussein (AS), the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), was martyred along with dozens of his companions at the hands of the tyrant of the time, Yazid I, more than thirteen centuries ago.
Each year, a huge crowd of Shias, including Iranians, flock to Karbala, where the holy shrine of Imam Hussein (AS) is located, to perform mourning rites.
In the past few years, around 20 million pilgrims from all over the world took part in the mourning ceremonies in the Iraqi holy city marking Arbaeen.
This year, Arbaeen falls on Saturday, October 19.
