VIDEO: Ashura Flag Raised in Solemn Ceremony in Karbala

Scholars and failthful people attended the ceremony on the first night of Muharram, amidst an atmosphere of sorrow, marking the beginning of the season of grief and mourning, Iraqi media reported.

The black flag of Ashura was raised on the dome of the two neighboring shrines amid chants “labbayka ya Hussein” (at your service O’ Imam Hussein).

Representative of Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Al-Sistani in Iraq Sheikh Abdul Mahdi Al-Karbalai called for Ashura to be a season “to mend our hearts and protect our society from corruption.”