Gold banners replaced at Imam Hussein and Al-Abbas shrines in Karbala for Muharram

KARBALA, Iraq — The gold-plated banners atop the shrines of Imam Hussein and his brother Abbas in the Iraqi city of Karbala were lowered and replaced on Wednesday to mark the start of the Islamic month of Muharram. The ceremony drew large numbers of visitors and pilgrims who gathered in the courtyards of the two holy sites. During the changing of the banners, mourners recited traditional Husseini elegies and lamentations associated with the rituals of Ashura. The new banners were raised as the old ones were carefully lowered in a symbolic act observed each year at the beginning of the mourning month. Following the ceremony, the shrines were prepared to receive the remembrance and visitation programs scheduled throughout Muharram. The ritual in Karbala is regarded as the formal start of the Ashura period, during which millions of pilgrims typically visit the city each year.