Public Story
The Living Martyrs
Summary
Lahore is a city of opposites with many ethnicities, social and economic classes, religions, and sub-sects in between. From the folkloric 'Old Lahore' to its cosmopolitan counterpart in DHA, one unique thread enmeshing the whole city in its embrace, is that of the ritual of 'Maatam' (Lamentation) during the Month of Moharram, especially on the days of the Ashura. The bodily ritual of 'Maatam' is held to commemorate the sacrifice of Hassan and Hussain (RA) on the field of Karbala. It is a way to integrate the body and mind, the duality of existence, in one existence – that of the living martyr.
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