Today, on the premises of the Bektashi Holy See, the Ashura ceremony was celebrated, a traditional Bektashi rite commemorating the 72 fallen on the land of Karbala. In a ceremony from the Religious-Cultural Center "Odeoni", in Kryegjyshata, the World Grandfather, His Grace, Haxhi Dede Baba Edmond Brahimaj, wished the believers and Albanians for more peace, love, brotherhood to walk in the way of God.
The day of Ashura comes after 10 days of fasting, during which the sacrifice of the Bektashi believers is commemorated. The whole Muslim world remembers this day as the most painful event in the history of mankind. The origin of the holiday starts from Iraq. In the plain of Karbala, 1400 years ago, where the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, Imam Husayn, was massacred, along with 72 martyrs. The day of Ashura is known as the day of the martyrdom of Imam Husayn, who was surrounded in the desert of Karbala by an aggressive army, along with 72 of his companions was martyred. The day of Ashura is the last day of Matem or the fasting and sacrifice of the Bektashis.
The Matem
The matem, is the fasting of the mourning, or the commemoration in honor of the acts of the martyrs of Qerbela. The fasting of the Bektashi and the other alevian tarikas lasts 10 days of the moon calendar of Muharrem (Muharrem’s month is the beginning of the New Year Hixhri based on the Muslum calendar), where there are commemorated in sign of mourning the 72 martyrs that have fallen in Qerbela, lead by Imam Hyseni. These days the other Bektashi gather in vary masjids where the clerics read loudly the “Hadiqa”, do the daily ritual, commemorating the sufferings of humanity, preaching the ways of justice, peace, brotherhood and humanity perfectionism.
The first night is dedicated to the sufferings of the Prophets: Adem, Nuh, Ibrahim, Jusuf, Musa and Christ, the second night for the Prophet Muhammad (a.s), the third night for Imam Ali, the fourth for Imam Hasan, the fifth for the birth and life of Imam Hysen, the sixth for his departure from Medine to Mecca, the seventh for the assassination of Muslum Akil and his two sons, Myftar and Ibrahim, the eigtht for the departure of Imam Hysen to Kufe, the ninth for his arrival in Qerbela and the tenth for the martyrizing of him and the other martyrs. For this purpose, since the mighty martyrs went in paradise, these days there is no water drinking.
