Exclusive translation: Shiites in Iraq and India celebrated Ashura by flogging themselves and striking their heads with swords and chains, leaving the streets stained with blood.
According to the Daily Mail, in Iraq, Shiites participate in bloodletting rituals as an act of mourning to commemorate Ashura, a 10-day period commemorating the seventh century commemoration of the killing of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Imam Hussein.
The Shiites commemorate the killing of Hussein bin Ali, in the seventh century, as they claim that the bloodshed by men and boys washes away sins and constitutes a symbol of mourning for Hussein, who was killed with his sons in the Battle of Karbala, south of Baghdad in 680 AD due to political differences over governance at that time.