One of the oldest and most popular festivals of Bengal, Muharram found a universal footing from the very beginning, taking shape in the society and culture of Bengal as a meeting of memory, grief and social solidarity.
Although the celebration of Muharram in this region began as a result of the Persian and Shia influence in the Mughal court, it is now not limited to any one community alone.
This festival has spread its influence to all communities, be it Sunni Muslims or followers of other traditional religions.
Muharram is not only the first month of the Islamic calendar, but the tenth day of the month, known as the Ashura, holds significance as the date of one of the most tragic events in Islamic history.
The grandson of Prophet Muhammad, Husayn ibn Ali along with most of his relatives and companions, were martyred in the plains of Karbala, now Iraq's second-largest city.
This is a day of deep mourning for all Muslims worldwide.
To find out how this event from the distant lands of Arabia found such significance in Bengal, we have to look back at the history of the region.
Muharram during the Mughal era
The documented history of Muharram dates back to the 17th century.
In 1665, famous Mughal emperor Aurangzeb was touring Bengal along its flowing rivers when he decided to stop for a layover at the tomb of Shah Makhdum in Rajshahi.
There he asked the attendants about the history of Shah Makhdum and his ancestry. Upon his request, attendants wrote a book in Persian, transcribing the history of Shah Makhdum and mentioning various rituals related to the shrine, including Muharram.
This book is considered the ancient evidence of Muharram observance in Bengal.
The Persian book was later translated into Bangla as a biography of Shah Makhdum.
It describes how, during the first days of Muharram several tombs, shrines and religious buildings known as imambaras of Bengal were decorated.
Festive environments were created through bright lights, colourful curtains and musical performances.
Here, men would engage in ritualistic mourning, often involving chest-beating and other expressions of grief for the martyrdom of Husayn.
The women also used to do so but separately. When women were mourning, men were strictly restricted from entering. However, this custom is fading with time.
Black attires now symbolise the tragedy. But interestingly, green was used in the past to symbolise of melancholy.
Moreover, then Muharram was celebrated by fasting for 10 days, eating vegetarian meals, donating to charity and distributing food and sherbet.
The tazia procession, which involves carrying intricately crafted replicas of Imam Hussain's tomb, known as tazias, was also prominent.
Additionally, people celebrated Muharram by narrating the tales of Karbala, using detailed descriptions from the Persian book.
Muharram under the British Raj
James Taylor, the civil surgeon of Dhaka, fell in love with Dhaka's charm during his stay in the city between 1825 to 1835.
He noted down his experiences in Bengal in his book, "Topography of Bengal", published in 1840.
It was later published as "Dhaka during the company era" (Dhaka during the Company Rules).
In it, he wrote that Muharram, the Bera Bhashan Festival and Vaishnav Festival were the major celebrations in Dhaka.
Much later, advocate Hridaynath Mazumder of Dhaka wrote about Muharram in his autobiography. He described Holi, Jhulan Purnima and Muharram as major celebrations.
Amusingly, Eid and Durga Puja did not feature on this list, laying bare how significant Muharram was to the people during the British Raj.
Muharram across East Bengal
While Muharram was a ceremony celebrating unity and compassion, it slowly became a symbol of social solidarity as people from various religious background joined festivities.
From Old Dhaka, Brahmanbaria, Chittagong, Barishal and Mymensingh in East Bengal to Kolkata in West Bengal, there was no place in the region where Muharram did not add a festive flavour.
The social structure and religious pluralism of the subcontinent made Muharram a prominent social event, evidenced in the memoirs of several litterateurs.
Muharram in Dhaka
From accounts provided by Ahmad Hassan Dani, Haqeem Ahsan and the Urdu newspaper "Jadu", the Hussaini Dalan in Old Dhaka has long been a centre of attraction for Muharram.
Candles were lit here for the first three days of the month. On the fourth day, marsiya, poems of lamentation, were sung. On the following two days, games featuring batons were arranged for visitors.
On the seventh day, a huge procession would be formed. The eight day was reserved to allow women to mourn before colorful rallies were assembled the day after.
On the 10th day, everyone gathered at Hussainabad in Azimpur.
Even today, Old Dhaka is filled with dazzling lights, intricate tazias, the sounds of mourners and the smell of khichuri.
Muharram celebrations outside Dhaka
Muharram was celebrated with great pomp in various parts of East Bengal. For example, in Brahmanbaria, baton games were an essential part of festivities.
Poet Al Mahmud, in his autobiographical tale "Jebhabe Bere Uthi", wrote Muharram in Brahmanbaria meant celebrations with baton games.
Holding the memory of Husiyn close to their hearts, the games became a cultural event.
The beating of the drums echoed with cries of "Hai Hussain".
As Brahmanbaria had 'Laathikhela', Chattogram had 'Chua Khela'.
People in Chattogram would indulge in this dangerous but popular game, which would see competitors fill bamboo sticks with gun powder before hurling them at one another.
Despite the risks, thousands would gather to witness this game. However, it must be mentioned that the evolving times have led to the eradication of this practice.
This exciting game is no longer seen in Chittagong.
In her memoir 'Ekale Amader Kal', poet Sufia Kamal paints a vivid portrait of Muharram in the Barishal region, where she was brought up at her maternal grandfather's house in Shayestaganj.
Muharram in this region was different. Along with the recitation of the Quran, oral narratives of tales, poems of lamentation and singing would mark the day.
Khichuri was dished out and sherbet flowed throughout the day.
In Sufia Kamal's own words, it was like a 'celebration of unity' as a whole.
Even the historic district of Mymensingh was engulfed by festivities.
In writer and politician Abul Mansur Ahmed's "Atmakatha", we get an idea of how Muharram was celebrated here.
In his memoirs, he portrays the immense hospitality of Muharram.
In his eyes, Muharram meant feeding countless people.
On this day the wealthy would donate various things to the poor. As a result, Muharram became a union between the rich and poor.
Muharram in Kolkata
As in Dhaka, Muharram was celebrated widely in Kolkata.
Although it was a Shia initiative there, Sunni Muslims and Hindus used to participate equally.
Novelist Abu Rushad wrote about his enthusiasm for khichuri and sherbet during Muharram in his autobiography.
He further described his attraction towards the colourful tazia processions.
Late National Professor Anisuzzaman highlighted Muharram during his childhood in his autobiography "Kal-Nirobodhi".
Chest-beating, heart-wrenching mourning, the colorful tazia procession – this is how Anisuzzaman illustrated Muharram in Kolkata.
In East Bengal, Bangladesh, or Kolkata, a sense of harmony is found centering the celebration of Muharram.
Although the festival is meant to mourn the memory of the martyrs of Karbala, this festival has incorporated charity and entertainment in the Bengali region. Social inequality, poverty eradication and charity were the means of expressing responsibility towards the society.
Above all, Muharram has created a kind of bond between the rural and civil society of Bengal, as well as strengthened social solidarity.
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