Najafis in Iran’s Qom mourn Imam Hussein’s martyrdom by torch-carrying rituals

Every year, on the 8th, 9th, and 10th nights of the month of Muharram, on the Islamic calendar, Najafi residents of the Iranian shrine city of Qom carry torches as a symbol of mourning for Imam Hussein, the third Shia Imam and the grandson of the Prophet Mohammad, who was martyred along with 72 of his companions on the plains of Karbala over 14 centuries ago.