Arbaeen Provides A Platform for Connecting Art, Spirituality, Official Says
“Through this magnificent ritual, artists can combine their religious commitment with artistic creativity and bring the voice of truth to the ears of the world,” the director of the Performing Arts Center said.
Kourosh Zarei made the remarks at a press conference of the 9th International Arbaeen March Conference, held in Tehran on Sunday.
He referred to the continuation of the artistic tradition of Arbaeen and said, “Like last year, the Arbaeen season has arrived, and as is the tradition every year, we have brought together the country’s ritual theater artists. God willing, the opening ceremony will begin on Tuesday, August 5, in a ceremony (in Tehran).”
After that, he noted, the theater groups will board a bus and head to the Shalamcheh border crossing to join other artists there and cross the border to begin their performances in Iraq on Thursday.
“This year, in addition to Najaf, the Arbaeen walking route and the city of Karbala, the city of Samarra has been added to our performance. Drama groups will perform in the processions that operate in this city and are under the auspices of Iran’s Awqaf and Charity Affairs Organization. The organization, as in previous years, stands by the art center and has provided great support for the greater cohesion and splendor of this program.”
Referring to the role of language in Arbaeen street theater, Zarei said, “For professional street theater artists like us, language is very important. Our audience in Iraq is mainly Arabic-speaking. Our good groups from Khuzestan, who are fluent in Arabic, are responsible for this task.”
Pointing the history of the formation of the Arbaeen theater movement, he said the Center for Performing Arts of the Arts Center founded the theater movement on the Arbaeen March in 2016.
“At that time, there were no theater groups on this route. If today numerous groups from Iran and Iraq are performing on this route, it is the fruit of those efforts and blessing from Ahl-ul-Bayt (AS).”
Read More:
Elsewhere in his remarks, Zarei referred to artistic activities in support of the Palestinian people, and said the Zahraeiyoun group has prepared two to three songs on the subject of Gaza and Palestine.
“We want to use the language of art to cry out in Bain-ul-Haramain (in Karbala) and on the Arbaeen route against the oppression of the Palestinian people.”
Arbaeen is a religious event observed by Shia Muslims on the fortieth day after the Day of Ashura, commemorating the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS), the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the third Shia imam.
It is one of the largest annual pilgrimages in the world, with millions of Shia Muslims, as well as many Sunnis and followers of other religions, walking to Karbala from various cities in Iraq and neighboring countries. This year, the day of Arbaeen will fall on August 14.
4297961
